All posts tagged: Uber

Uber will now pick up your returns from your doorstep

Uber will now pick up your returns from your doorstep

Published by skeptic

Uber launched a new feature on Friday that lets customers return purchased items without leaving their home. The new returns feature, which is accessed through the Uber Eats app, is the latest effort by Uber to add “stickiness” to its app by offering services that extend beyond its core ride-hailing and delivery businesses. There are limitations to the new service, and there is, of course, a courier fee. The return fee is calculated based on the courier’s time and distance, according to Uber. Customers can only send back eligible retail items purchased on Uber Eats, and they must comply with each store’s return policy. Participating retailers include At Home, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, GNC, Michael’s Pet Food Express, Pacsun, Petco, and Target. Uber said more retailers will be added in the future. Uber has also placed price limitations on the service. Customers can only return items with retail prices above $20, according to the company. Image Credits:Uber Customers can access the new feature by navigating to their order history in the app, tapping “Return …

Lucid Motors names new CEO, lands more money from Uber and Saudis

Lucid Motors names new CEO, lands more money from Uber and Saudis

Published by skeptic

Lucid Motors has finally found a new CEO in long-time industrial executive, Silvio Napoli, marking the end of a more than year-long search following the sudden resignation of its former chief, Peter Rawlinson. The company on Tuesday said that Napoli, who has spent the last few decades in various leadership positions at elevator and escalator company Schindler Group, will also join its board of directors. Alongside the CEO appointment, Lucid said it has received another $200 million commitment from Uber, which has agreed to buy an additional 25,000 robotaxi-ready versions of Lucid’s upcoming mid-size vehicle. That brings Uber’s total committed investments in Lucid Motors to $500 million, and its minimum vehicle order to 35,000. Finally, Lucid’s majority owner, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, is purchasing another $550 million of its shares. The announcements come during an all-important year for Lucid Motors. The company is currently trying to ramp up production and sales of its second model, the Gravity SUV, after struggling to find a large market for its Air sedan. Lucid is also planning …

Uber and Nuro begin testing premium robotaxi service in San Francisco

Uber and Nuro begin testing premium robotaxi service in San Francisco

Published by skeptic

If you spot a Lucid Gravity SUV blinged-out with sensors — and a self-driving system developed by Nuro — driving around San Francisco, chances are that’s an Uber employee taking a ride. Select Uber employees can now request a ride in a Lucid robotaxi through the Uber app, the latest phase of testing ahead of a planned public launch later this year. Nuro, which provided the update in a blog posted Monday, told TechCrunch the vehicles are operating in autonomous mode and have a human safety operator behind the wheel as backup. While this is far from a public launch, it does signal the companies’ progress since announcing a partnership and multimillion-dollar investment in July 2025. Uber invested $300 million in Lucid and separately agreed to buy “at least” 20,000 of the EV maker’s new Gravity SUV over the next six years. Those EVs are equipped with Nuro’s autonomous vehicle system, which is powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer. The Lucid Gravity robotaxi, which was revealed in January, is outfitted with high-resolution cameras, solid-state …

Uber begins test rides of Nuro-equipped Lucid Gravity robotaxi

Uber begins test rides of Nuro-equipped Lucid Gravity robotaxi

Published by skeptic

Level 4 autonomous technology expert Nuro shared the latest milestone of a partnership with Uber Technologies and Lucid Motors to develop a fleet of Gravity Robotaxi SUVs. Per the company, a select group of riders has begun test rides in California. Today’s latest robotaxi milestone involving Nuro, Uber, and Lucid Gravity dates back to July 2025, when the autonomous technology developer, rideshare and logistics network, and American EV automaker (respectively) announced an exciting new partnership. Through the collaboration, Uber Technologies has committed to deploying up to 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs converted to robotaxis using Nuro’s level 4 autonomous driving platform, Driver. By late October, Uber had announced where it would initially begin rolling out these Nuro-equipped Lucid Gravity robotaxis – the San Francisco Bay Area. Shocker! Advertisement – scroll for more content By January, Nuro, Uber, and Lucid Motors had unveiled a production-intent version of the Gravity robotaxi, which was beginning road testing right away. This morning, Nuro confirmed that it has moved into the next phase of development, beginning public test rides in, you …

Uber EV grant expanded nationwide, offering drivers big incentives

Uber EV grant expanded nationwide, offering drivers big incentives

Published by skeptic

Six months after transitioning one of its rideshare options to promote more electric rides and offer a grant to riders who switch to an EV, Uber Technologies is expanding the program across the US and adding additional savings. Another week, another headline regarding Uber Technologies wielding its power as the world’s most prominent rideshare network to promote and expand electrification. Bravo, Uber. March included a partnership announcement with purpose-built robotaxi developer, Zoox, followed by an investment in Rivian that could total up to $1 billion to deploy R2 robotaxis. As you may recall, back in October 2025, the rideshare network announced it was rebranding its “Uber Green” service to “Uber Electric,” stating that the name change “reflects record EV growth on our platform, making it easier for riders to choose zero-emissions rides.” Advertisement – scroll for more content To celebrate the revamped service, Uber also announced a new EV grant program called “Go Electric”, offering drivers in certain cities an incentive of up to $4,000 toward the purchase of a used EV. This Uber-sponsored EV …

Uber increases stake in WeRide as robotaxi partnership ramps up in Dubai

Uber increases stake in WeRide as robotaxi partnership ramps up in Dubai

Published by skeptic

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle company WeRide have launched robotaxi operations without a human safety operator in Dubai as part of a broader expansion in the Middle East. Riders can now book the vehicles through Uber’s app, with operations in commercial and industrial districts like Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Investment Park Second, and Jabal Ali Industrial First, as well as suburban areas and the maritime trading hub Al Hamriya Port. The service is operated locally by Tawasul, a mobility and fleet operator in the United Arab Emirates. The companies first introduced robotaxis to Dubai in December under a pilot program, but didn’t charge for rides and still had a human safety operator on board. The government’s Roads and Transport Authority issued a driverless vehicle trial permit to the companies last month. The deployment signals an escalation in WeRide’s robotaxi operations in the region. It also coincides with Uber’s increased stake in the company. Uber now holds a 5.82% stake in WeRide, according to documents filed Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The equity stake …

Uber is buying Berlin startup Blacklane to bolster its ‘Elite’ offering

Uber is buying Berlin startup Blacklane to bolster its ‘Elite’ offering

Published by skeptic

Uber is buying Berlin-based startup Blacklane, which provides on-demand, black-car chauffeur services, as the ride-hail giant expands deeper into luxury and executive travel services. It’s a notable exit for Blacklane, which was founded in 2011 and has raised more than $100 million to date from rental car company Sixt, Mercedes-Benz, and ALFAHIM, a conglomerate in the UAE. Uber said the acquisition still needs regulatory approvals, but expects it to close by the end of this year. The two companies didn’t disclose financial terms of the deal. The acquisition comes just a few weeks after Uber announced the launch of Uber Elite, which combines a chauffeur service with a number of luxury offerings like in-vehicle amenities, airport meet-and-greets, and 24/7 phone support. Uber Elite is starting small, in just Los Angeles and San Francisco, with New York City on the horizon. Blacklane operates in major cities across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America, and North America. Source link

TechCrunch Mobility: When a robotaxi has to call 911

TechCrunch Mobility: When a robotaxi has to call 911

Published by skeptic

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Waymo shared that it is now providing 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week. That number is small compared to its human-driven ride-hailing counterparts, like Lyft and Uber. But that’s not what I found most interesting. The pace of growth in rides, new markets, and how it compares to its fleet size is what got my attention. We built a chart (which you can view below) that helps visualize the rapid scale.  That scale, however, does create new challenges, including the inevitably of the robotaxis becoming paralyzed, like so many did during the blackout in California in December. It got us wondering, what happens when a robotaxi gets stuck — and who unsticks it?  Senior reporter Sean O’Kane dug into Waymo’s system (which includes its own roadside assistance team), as well as at least six incidents in which first responders had to …

Waymo’s skyrocketing ridership in one chart

Waymo’s skyrocketing ridership in one chart

Published by skeptic

Waymo is now providing 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across 10 U.S. cities, the company shared in a post on X this week. The eye-popping figure is reflective of the Alphabet-owned company’s accelerated commercial expansion. But it’s Waymo’s rate of growth in ridership and markets that offers a more compelling story.  In less than two years, the company’s average weekly paid robotaxi trips have grown tenfold, from 50,000 per week in May 2024 to 500,000 per week today. Over that same two-year timespan, Waymo has expanded within its initial markets of Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles — and beyond them to Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. Those seven cities in the Sun Belt were all added in just the past year. Waymo’s robotaxi fleet has also grown, although the company has guarded those numbers and rarely provides updates. Data provided in December 2025 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows the company had 3,067 robotaxis equipped with its 5th generation self-driving system. The company still uses that …

A little-known Croatian startup is coming for the robotaxi market with help from Uber

A little-known Croatian startup is coming for the robotaxi market with help from Uber

Published by skeptic

Mate Rimac, the founder of Croatian electric vehicle maker Rimac Group, started working on electric robotaxis seven years ago. Now, part of his vision is coming to fruition through a strategic partnership between Uber, Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai, and his own robotaxi startup Verne. The three companies announced plans Thursday to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, starting in Zagreb, Croatia. Pony.ai will supply the autonomous driving system and a robotaxi called the Arcfox Alpha T5 that was developed with Chinese automaker BAIC. Verne will own and operate the fleet, and Uber will provide its vast ride-hailing network. The ride-hailing giant also indicated it intends to invest an undisclosed amount into Verne and support future expansion as a strategic partner. The companies didn’t provide a specific launch date for the commercial service, though on-road testing in Zagreb — where Rimac Group is based — is already underway. Verne doesn’t have the same name recognition as Waymo or Tesla — at least not in the United States. But it has the same outsized ambitions. …