Uber’s latest self-driving car unit represents both a chance for growth and a means of staying competitive

Uber Unveils New Autonomous Vehicle Division

Uber is making a bold move in the autonomous vehicle industry by introducing Uber Autonomous Solutions, a new branch dedicated to managing every aspect of running robotaxi, self-driving truck, and delivery robot operations. This division will provide both software and comprehensive support services for companies in the autonomous mobility space.

This announcement formalizes years of behind-the-scenes work by Uber to build a strong presence in the self-driving sector. The company has established collaborations with nearly 24 autonomous technology firms, spanning applications from robotaxis and freight to sidewalk delivery robots and aerial drones. Uber has also invested heavily in several of these partners—such as Lucid and Nuro, Waabi, and China’s WeRide—and has committed $100 million to develop rapid charging infrastructure for autonomous vehicles. Additionally, Uber has launched Uber AV Labs, a specialized engineering group focused on collecting valuable data for its robotaxi collaborators.

Having laid the groundwork with these alliances and investments, Uber now aims to become an essential partner for autonomous vehicle companies.

“Autonomous vehicle technology teams should concentrate on their core strength: developing safe and reliable software for self-driving systems,” explained Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, who is spearheading the new initiative. “Our goal is to provide operational expertise wherever it’s needed—whether that’s generating demand, enhancing rider experiences, offering customer support, or overseeing daily fleet operations.”

Uber’s ultimate objective is to help its partners lower operational costs per mile and accelerate their time to market. The company plans to assist in expanding robotaxi services to over 15 cities by year’s end.

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Andrew MacDonald, Uber’s President and COO, emphasized, “The future of autonomous vehicles depends on their ability to be commercialized, and Uber is positioned to make that a reality.”

To achieve this, Uber is taking responsibility for critical infrastructure needs such as data collection, mapping, fleet financing, regulatory compliance, and managing autonomous vehicles in complex environments. The company is currently using a fleet of specially outfitted Lucid vehicles to gather data, which is then shared with partners to help train their AI systems.

The new division will also focus on improving user experience and customer support. Notably, Uber intends to oversee fleet management, including providing remote assistance—a topic that has recently drawn attention from lawmakers due to concerns about companies like Waymo employing overseas workers for this purpose. Uber’s approach to fleet management will also encompass insurance and staffing for human support roles needed to assist autonomous vehicles in the field.

This strategic shift is both a necessity and an opportunity for Uber. After selling its own autonomous vehicle development arm, Uber ATG, to Aurora in 2020 following a high-profile incident and internal challenges (details here), Uber has relied on partnerships and investments to maintain its influence in the sector.

Uber’s collaborations are extensive. The company operates a joint robotaxi service with Waymo in Atlanta and Austin, and has secured agreements with Chinese companies Baidu, Momenta, and Pony.ai, as well as sidewalk delivery robot firms Cartken, Starship, and Serve. It is also working with UK-based autonomous driving startup Wayve, and robotaxi developers AVride and Motional. Plans are underway to launch a robotaxi service with Volkswagen in Los Angeles by the end of 2026, with fully driverless operations expected in 2027.

While these partnerships offer some protection, they do not fully offset potential revenue losses if autonomous vehicles begin to replace Uber’s traditional ride-hailing and food delivery services, which currently rely on human drivers. Uber hopes that its new division will help bridge this gap and secure its future in the evolving mobility landscape.