Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro have revealed the production-intent model of their collaborative robotaxi on the 2026 Shopper Electronics Present, and TechCrunch received a sneak peek forward of the reveal.
It’s a car that’s been within the works for greater than half a yr now, a part of a deal that noticed Uber make investments $300 million into Lucid and commit to purchasing 20,000 of the corporate’s EVs. On Monday, the businesses mentioned the robotaxi is already being examined on public roads forward of a deliberate business service launching within the San Francisco Bay Space later this yr.
Based mostly on the Lucid Gravity SUV, the robotaxi has high-resolution cameras, stable state lidar sensors, and radars built-in into the physique and the roof-mounted “halo.” The autonomy bundle is powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor laptop. That halo additionally has built-in LED lights that may assist riders establish their car (much like how Waymo’s Jaguar I-Tempo SUVs work).
Crucially, all of this further tech is added to the Gravity because it’s being constructed at Lucid Motors’ Casa Grande, Arizona manufacturing unit, saving the businesses some money and time. By comparability, Waymo at present has to take aside the I-Tempo SUVs it receives from Jaguar and combine the autonomous tech because it places them again collectively. (Future Waymo automobiles are deliberate to be extra purpose-built.)
The car unveiled on Monday is a extra polished-up model of the take a look at model that the three corporations have spent the final seven months displaying off in press photographs. The latest aspect revealed at CES has to do with how customers will interface with the Uber-Lucid-Nuro robotaxi. That features a small display on the halo meant to greet riders and a trip interface contained in the cabin.
Anybody who has ridden in a Waymo will discover this UI expertise acquainted. The rear passenger display reveals an isometric graphical view of the robotaxi shifting by means of metropolis streets, with representations of close by vehicles and pedestrians.
The businesses didn’t have an interactive model of the software program — which is being created by Uber — prepared to check out simply but. Nevertheless it has been constructed to indicate the usual info like estimated drop-off time, how a lot trip time is remaining, and local weather and music controls. There are additionally buttons to achieve rider assist and to inform the robotaxi to drag over.
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The entrance passenger display reveals loads of the identical info, simply on a bigger central touchscreen show. Within the demonstration automotive on show on the Fontainebleau lodge, loads of the identical components appeared on the Gravity’s sweeping 34-inch curved OLED show, which sits behind the steering wheel.
Uber selected to construct this forthcoming “premium” robotaxi service across the Gravity, and at a excessive stage it looks as if a clever determination. The Gravity is immensely spacious inside, particularly within the two-row configuration on show on the lodge. (Uber says a three-row model shall be obtainable, too.)
That mentioned, the Gravity’s first full yr got here with struggles. Lucid fought with software program points because it ramped up manufacturing of the SUV, and the issues received unhealthy sufficient that interim CEO Marc Winterhoff despatched an electronic mail to house owners in December apologizing for the “frustrations” they skilled.
Lucid has seemingly been capable of bounce again from that, and on Monday announced that it doubled its 2024 manufacturing figures and reached new gross sales data. Time will inform if the robotaxi model has any of the identical sorts of software program struggles.
Uber, Lucid, and Nuro mentioned Monday that after ultimate validation is full on the robotaxi later this yr, true manufacturing variations will begin rolling off Lucid’s manufacturing unit strains in Arizona. The businesses didn’t give a concrete timeline for that, although.
