Uber and Rivian aim to launch 10,000 autonomous robotaxis by 2031

Uber and electric‑vehicle maker Rivian have signed a partnership to field roughly 10,000 autonomous robotaxis by 2031. The deal includes an initial €300 million payment at signing and a total fleet investment of about €1.25 billion. The first vehicles are slated for service in 2028 in San Francisco and Miami, with bookings handled exclusively through the Uber app. Rivian’s new R2 platform and a proprietary AI‑chip architecture will underpin the Level‑4 autonomous capability, and the agreement contains an option to expand the fleet to as many as 50,000 units.

The announcement comes as the broader robotaxi market continues to grow, with companies such as Waymo, Tesla and Baidu expanding services in dozens of cities worldwide. BloombergNEF projects the global robotaxi fleet to rise from around 8,000 today to 18,000 by 2026, though they will still represent only about 1 % of the total vehicle stock. The Uber‑Rivian initiative signals a shift toward larger‑scale, ride‑hailing‑integrated autonomous fleets, highlighting both technical challenges and the potential for new mobility models.

Industry observers note that the success of such deployments will depend on reliable sensor and computing performance, regulatory approvals, and the ability to achieve economies of scale that can lower per‑ride costs.