- Uber is throwing its hat back into the robotaxi ring thanks to a new partnership with Avride.
- The deal will see Uber Eats use autonomous food delivery robots starting later this year.
- An autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 5 is then slated to hit the streets of Dallas in 2025.
Uber was an autonomous driving pioneer, but a fatal accident in 2018 changed everything. In the fallout, the company threw in the towel and sold off its Advanced Technologies Group in 2020.
While Uber hasn’t been the only company to suffer autonomous driving setbacks, the firm is now ready to give it another go. As part of a “multiyear strategic partnership” with Avride, Uber and Uber Eats will embrace self-driving vehicles once again.
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The multipronged effort will kick off in Austin, Texas where delivery robots – which have lidar, camera, and ultrasonic sensors – will take to the sidewalks to deliver food for Uber Eats. These tiny electric vehicles can last for up to 12 hours and have a storage compartment large enough to hold six 16-inch pizzas as well as three 1.5 liter bottles.
Following the launch in Austin in the coming weeks, Uber will bring the bots to Dallas and Jersey City, New Jersey later this year. The company said customers in qualifying areas may be presented with the option to have their food delivered by robot. While things will likely get off to a slow start, Avride CEO Dmitry Polishchuk said there are plans for “hundreds” of Uber Eats robots in 2025.
Of course, we’re more interested in their robotaxi plans which could eventually rival Cruise and Waymo. Uber didn’t say much in this regard, but stated their “mobility partnership is expected to launch for riders in Dallas later next year.”
That’s a ways off, but Avride uses autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 5 EVs. They’re equipped with four lidar sensors, six radar sensors, and over a dozen cameras. This promises to provide a 360° view for “several hundred meters ahead in various conditions” including rain and snow.
