Uber launches autonomous solutions to scale AVs globally
Uber Technologies (UBER) announced on Monday that it was launching Uber Autonomous Solutions, a suite of services that supports the end-to-end commercialization of robotaxis and autonomous vehicle (AV) fleets for its partners.
It is the latest move by Uber to aggressively integrate AVs into its ride-hailing network, at a time when Wall Street sees looming headwinds for its core business coming from the growing robotaxi fleets being brought to market by Alphabet's (GOOG) Waymo and Tesla (TSLA).
According to Uber, it will be providing its partners with data, mapping, regulatory access and financing to help them deploy AVs at scale. It is organized across the areas of infrastructure, user experience and fleet operations.
The suite includes AV 2.0 training data which provides data that has been collected from specially-equipped vehicles across dozens of cities in the US and Europe. Working with Uber AV Labs and Data Factory with Nvidia (NVDA), the aim is to help its AV partners scale toward Level 4 autonomy faster.
Level 4 autonomy is when a vehicle can operate without human input in specific geographic locations or under specifically defined conditions.
Nvidia announced the Data Factory partnership with Uber back in October, which is looking to help the ride-hailing company grow its global autonomous fleet to 100,000 vehicles over time, starting in 2027.
Uber will also be providing its AV partners with data-enriched mapping that will help them refine pickups, routing and expected time of arrivals (ETAs) with more precision, allowing the AVs to avoid certain intersections during rush hour or navigate around road closures or inclement weather.
Uber's policy and regulatory support teams will also help their partners commercialize their AV fleets and bring their new technology to market.
“Autonomous technology has remarkable potential to make transportation safer and more affordable,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. “Innovation in autonomy is moving quickly, but meaningful commercialization will take much longer. For more than a decade, Uber has helped set the standard for on-demand mobility and built the capabilities that make ‘push a button and get a ride’ work at global scale."
Uber going all-in on robotaxis
As part of its autonomous solutions, Uber has also built an AV Mission Control platform that provides comprehensive fleet intelligence and gives operators a real-time view of every vehicle. The company is also designing a remote assistance platform with a custom agent console to provide end-to-end support.
“AV tech teams should be able to focus on what they do best: building software that can safely power an autonomous world,” Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said in a statement. “Uber Autonomous Solutions is designed to complement their strengths by providing operational depth wherever they need it – whether that’s demand generation, rider experience, customer support, or managing the day-to-day realities of running a real-world fleet.”
The launch of its Autonomous Solutions platform was met with a muted response from investors as its shares fell 4.2%. Its stock has dropped over 13% to start the year.
Uber announced last week that it will spend more than $100 million to build autonomous-vehicle charging hubs in the United States, beginning in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas.
The company will be partnering with EVgo Inc. (EVGO), one of the country's largest providers of public fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs).
And last month, Lucid Group, Inc. (LCID) unveiled the new robotaxi that it has developed with Uber and Nuro, a universal autonomy platform.
For the robotaxi, a Lucid Gravity SUV has been outfitted with an Uber-designed in-person rider experience, which includes interactive screens that allow riders to personalize their trip with temperature control, music selection or even the ability to request that the vehicle pull over.