Uber is dumping hundreds of millions into EV company Lucid and self-driving startup Nuro to launch a premium robotaxi service next year.
The deal, announced Thursday, includes Uber investing $300 million in Lucid. Uber will also buy at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over six years. These EVs will have Nuro’s autonomous system and be owned or operated by Uber or its partners.
Production of these modified Lucid vehicles starts late 2026, according to a regulatory filing. 
Uber is also investing a “multi-hundred-million dollar” sum in Nuro—reportedly more than in Lucid.
Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson told TechCrunch the deal took a year to finalize.
“I think that’s probably a reflection of how meaty it is,”
he said.“We were thrilled that, at the end of all that, we were the partner that was chosen.”
Lucid and Nuro engineers have tested a driverless prototype on a closed track in Las Vegas. Lucid’s Gravity SUVs come with hardware redundancies suited for Level 3 autonomy, letting a driver take eyes off the road in some cases.
Nuro’s system upgrades these vehicles to Level 4 autonomy, capable of full self-driving in certain conditions.
Uber has been locking down AV partners globally for years, covering ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking. It currently runs a fleet with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta.
This new deal shows Uber’s serious bet on self-driving cars.
Nuro, which raised over $2 billion but faced layoffs due to tough capital markets, pivoted last year to focus on licensing its AV tech instead of running delivery bots.
The Uber partnership is a major win and a sign Nuro’s pivot could pay off.
TechCrunch event
San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025
