(NewsNation) — Uber is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in at least 20,000 vehicles for a robotaxi program expected to launch in a major city next year.
The company plans to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro Driver technology over the course of six years. Uber will own and operate the vehicles, which will be made available to riders through the company’s app.
The first prototype is already operating at a closed-circuit course at Nuro’s Las Vegas proving grounds, the company said in a news release.
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“Autonomous vehicles have enormous potential to transform our cities for the better,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s CEO. “We’re thrilled to partner with Nuro and Lucid on this new robotaxi program, purpose-built just for the Uber platform, to safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people across the world.”
Uber has committed to investing hundreds of millions in both Lucid and Nuro as part of the program.
The plan includes the installation of hardware in Lucid Gravity vehicles to handle Nuro’s autonomous driving system during the assembly line, before the software is added when the car is commissioned by Uber.
The Lucid Gravity has an estimated range of 450 miles, requiring less charging time, and the Nuro software uses an AI model with safeguards, the press release said.
The self-driving software will undergo simulated testing, closed-course testing and supervised on-road testing to ensure safety.
