Uber, Rivian ink $1.25B deal to put thousands of robotaxis on US streets
The two companies plan to deploy up to 50,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis exclusively through the Uber platform by 2031
Rivian has a US-centric supply chain, but lots of components come globally, CEO explains
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe discusses the impact of import tariffs on The Claman Countdown.
Rivian and Uber on Thursday announced a partnership worth up to $1.25 billion to accelerate the two companies' plans for autonomous vehicles and deploy up to 50,000 fully autonomous robotaxis in the years ahead.
Under the agreement, Uber will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, subject to achieving autonomous performance milestones by specific dates.
The two companies have agreed to an initial $300 million investment following the signing of the deal, subject to regulatory approval.
Uber plans to purchase, either directly or through its fleet partners, 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis and the ride-hailing service firm will have the option to purchase up to 40,000 more in 2030. Rivian's autonomous fleet of R2 robotaxis will be available exclusively through the Uber platform.
The partnership between Uber and Rivian will focus on deploying up to 50,000 autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis. (Rivian)
The companies are planning to begin the initial deployment of the robotaxis in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, before expanding to more than two dozen cities by 2031.
If all autonomous performance milestones are met, Rivian and Uber will have deployed thousands of unsupervised robotaxis across 25 cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe by the end of 2031.
AUTOMAKER GEARS UP FOR SELF-DRIVING FUTURE WITH NEW CHIP
The Rivian R2 on display during the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show. (Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
"We couldn't be more excited about this partnership with Uber – it will help accelerate our path to level 4 autonomy to create one of the safest and most convenient autonomous platforms in the world," said Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe.
Scaringe added that Rivian's "growing data flywheel coupled with RAP1, our state of the art in-house inference platform, and our multi-modal perception platform make us incredibly excited for the rapid advancement of Rivian autonomy over the next couple of years."
RIVIAN CEO DISCUSSES TARIFFS, SAYS EV MAKER HAS 'VERY US-CENTRIC SUPPLY CHAIN'
The interior of the Rivian R2 is seen during the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show. (Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the company is "big believers in Rivian's approach – designing the vehicle, compute platform, and software stacks together while maintaining end-to-end control of scaled manufacturing and supply in the U.S."
"That vertical integration, combined with data from their growing consumer vehicle base and experience managing the complexities of commercial fleets, gives us conviction to set these ambitious but achievable targets," Khosrowshahi added.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Rivian shares rose 3.8% on Thursday, while Uber stock declined by 1.72% during the day's trading session.