Uber and Lucid Form Partnership for Thousands of Robotaxis | Carscoops

      The new robotaxi service is set to debut next year featuring the Gravity SUV.

      Uber is preparing to introduce a new robotaxi service utilizing the Lucid Gravity model.

      More than 20,000 robotaxis are expected to be rolled out in various markets in the next few years.

      The service is planned to launch in a "major city" in the United States next year.

      Lucid has been producing long-range electric vehicles for several years but has mostly remained under the radar. This is about to change as Uber intends to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles over the next six years in various global markets.

      This is a significant achievement for the automaker, which only delivered 10,241 vehicles last year. In addition to increasing brand visibility, this opportunity will highlight their luxury and technological advancements.

      The initiative stems from a collaboration among Lucid, Nuro, and Uber to create a next-generation autonomous robotaxi. It is anticipated to launch next year in a major U.S. city, although the companies have been cautious about revealing which city it will be.

      Information about the service is limited, but the companies shared images and videos of a specially modified Gravity SUV. This vehicle is equipped with a roof-mounted pod featuring an array of cameras and sensors that provide a 360° view of its environment.

      The cameras and sensors will transmit data to the Nuro Driver, a Level 4 autonomous driving system. Testing for the first prototype is already underway at a proving ground in Las Vegas, and the road-ready models will be “owned and operated by Uber or its third-party fleet partners and available to riders exclusively through the Uber platform.”

      Lucid stated that the robotaxi will utilize the Gravity’s “advanced technology platform, redundant electrical and controls architectures, and long range, making it ideal for a scalable robotaxi service.” The automaker also noted that all self-driving hardware will be installed during the assembly process, and vehicles will receive Nuro’s software once commissioned by Uber.

      Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi commented, “Autonomous vehicles have immense potential to improve our cities. We’re excited to collaborate with Nuro and Lucid on this new robotaxi initiative, specifically designed for the Uber platform, to safely bring the benefits of autonomous driving to more people around the globe.”

      According to CNBC, Uber is set to invest $300 million in Lucid as part of the agreement. Meanwhile, Nuro is expected to receive a “multi-hundred-million-dollar investment.”