Autonomous Uber fleet to expand with integration of 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs on ride-sharing service
In a significant move towards the future of ride-hailing, Uber has announced a partnership with Lucid Group to deploy at least 20,000 self-driving Lucid Gravity SUVs on its platform. This collaboration, revealed in a press release on July 17, 2023, marks a significant step forward in the autonomous vehicle industry.
The Lucid Gravity SUVs, equipped with the Nuro Driver, will operate at SAE Level 4 autonomy on the Uber platform. This means they will require no human intervention or oversight within predefined geofenced areas. The Nuro Driver, developed by the company co-founded in 2016 by Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson, former Google employees, allows for enhanced scalability and reduced costs by streamlining the platform.
Uber is not the only company partnering with Nuro. The vehicles will also be owned and operated by Uber or one of its third-party fleet partners. Nuro's autonomous driving system can respond to changing road and traffic control conditions in real-time, ensuring optimal performance in complex urban environments.
Meanwhile, Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is also making strides in the autonomous vehicle sector. Waymo and Magna plan to convert 2,000 electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs into robotaxis and add them to Waymo's platform. Waymo also plans to build its own robotaxis for its "Waymo One" ride-sharing service, as part of a partnership with Tier 1 supplier Magna International.
The Lucid Gravity's 450-mile EPA estimated range means less frequent downtime is needed for charging. As a software-based EV, the Lucid Gravity's electrical and control architecture makes it an ideal vehicle platform for the Nuro Driver. Nvidia Drive Thor automotive SoCs are used in Nuro's next-generation platform, delivering up to 2,000 teraflops of compute performance.
The first deployment of the Lucid Gravity robotaxis is planned for a major U.S. city next year. The deployment will take place over the next six years in dozens of Uber's global markets. Uber is investing $300 million in Lucid via a private placement, as stated in an SEC filing.
In addition to its partnership with Uber, Waymo and Uber also plan to deploy self-driving vehicles on the Uber platform in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, with additional U.S. cities planned in the future. Waymo and Magna's 2,000 robotaxis will be added to Waymo's platform in these cities.
The first Lucid Gravity robotaxi prototype is currently being tested on a closed circuit at Nuro's Las Vegas proving grounds. The collaboration between Uber, Nuro, and Lucid Group promises to revolutionise the ride-hailing industry and pave the way for a future of autonomous vehicles.
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