Uber will invest up to $1.25 billion in electric vehicle maker Rivian as part of a deal to deploy thousands of fully autonomous robotaxis over the next decade.
The investment, reported by Reuters on Thursday, will see Uber roll out at least 10,000 self-driving R2 SUVs from 2028, marking a major push into the rapidly evolving autonomous mobility space.
The development comes at a time when drivers operating on Uber, Bolt, and InDrive in Nigeria have embarked on a three-day strike, which began on Sunday, to press home demands for better pay and improved working conditions.
Uber said it will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian as part of a long-term partnership to roll out autonomous vehicles, starting with 10,000 robotaxis.
“Should all milestones be achieved, the companies will have deployed thousands of unsupervised Rivian R2 robotaxis across 25 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2031,” the companies said.
As part of the agreement, Uber will make an initial $300 million investment, with the remaining funds to be committed through 2031, depending on Rivian meeting key autonomous driving milestones.
The robotaxis—based on Rivian’s upcoming R2 SUVs—will be available exclusively on Uber’s platform from 2028, beginning with cities such as San Francisco and Miami. Uber also retains the option to purchase up to 40,000 additional vehicles starting from 2030.
The company is positioning itself as a marketplace for multiple autonomous vehicle operators, with existing partnerships across the industry, including with Waymo, Baidu, and Lucid, as well as collaboration with Nvidia to support AI-driven systems.
