Lyft, Inc. (LYFT) is partnering with autonomous vehicle maker Tensor Auto to add hundreds of robotaxis to its fleet in North America and Europe beginning in 2027.
The Tensor vehicles, which are called Robocars, will be manufactured "Lyft-Ready," in which the Lyft rideshare platform will be pre-installed in them. Tensor said in a press release that its partnership with Lyft will deploy the first “consumer-owned autonomous vehicles (AVs)” that can be used in the Lyft ecosystem.
This means that in addition to the hundreds of vehicles that Lyft has reserved for its fleet, privately owned Tensor Robocars can join the Lyft rideshare network as well, allowing its owners to monetize their vehicles.
“Traditionally, a car sits unused for most of the day, unproductive time for a depreciating asset. The Tensor Robocar flips this model on its head, turning a luxury vehicle into a productive, income-generating asset,” the company said in a press release.
Robocar owners will be able to join the rideshare network in markets where level 4 autonomous technology is available.
“By integrating with the Lyft platform, owners can choose to allow their vehicle to operate autonomously on the rideshare network when they're not using it, generating passive income,” the company added.
Tenor is planning to begin delivering its first Robocars in late 2026. Terms of the deal with Lyft were not disclosed.
Tensor’s Robocars will have over 100 sensors – which includes five lidars, 11 radars and 37 cameras. The sensor data will be powered by 8 Nvidia (NVDA) Blackwell GPU chips.
"Lyft has created opportunities for millions of people to earn on the platform, but right now, one of the last barriers to rideshare is time," Jeremy Bird, executive vice president at Lyft, said in a statement. "What's exciting about Tensor is they're advancing the opportunity that Lyft already creates, removing that final obstacle while reinforcing our vision of a hybrid transportation future."
Lyft has been making strides to catch up to rival Uber Technologies (UBER), which now has over a dozen global partnerships with AV makers.
Lyft announced in July that it’s teaming up with BENTELER Mobility, a lesser-known but rising global mobility tech player, to roll out HOLON GmbH autonomous shuttles in the U.S. starting in 2026.
The company said at the time that the deal will help it integrate autonomous vehicles into its network more efficiently.
And last month, Lyft entered into a partnership with Waymo to begin deploying autonomous ride-hailing on its app in Nashville in 2026.
Riders will initially be able to hail the autonomous vehicles (AVs) through Waymo’s app and then Waymo will dispatch its fleet on Lyft’s app later in the year. Lyft will also be building an AV fleet management facility in Nashville that will include charging and vehicle service capabilities.
Lyft’s stock fell nearly 7% on Thursday despite the announcement, but it is up 53.3% for the year.
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