If you’re in Houston, your Uber could pull up without a driver as soon as next year. Uber announced today that its robotaxi service with luxury EV maker Lucid and autonomous driving startup Nuro is coming to Houston. The city will be the service’s second market after it launches in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year. Uber said the service is expected to launch in the Texas city by mid-2027, with plans to expand to dozens of additional markets over the coming years. “Houston marks an important next step in our partnership with Lucid and Nuro as we expand autonomous mobility to more riders throughout the world,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber, in a press release.
Uber first announced its partnership with Lucid and Nuro last summer. Under that original agreement, the company planned to deploy a fleet of at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with Nuro’s self-driving technology over the next six years. As part of the deal, Uber said it would invest hundreds of millions of dollars into both Lucid and Nuro.
In April, the companies expanded that partnership. Uber said it would invest another $200 million in Lucid, bringing its total investment in the EV maker to $500 million. The planned fleet also grew to at least 35,000 vehicles. The company said the robotaxi service will use the Lucid Gravity, as well as future Lucid midsize vehicles with Nuro’s Level 4 autonomy platform. The Lucid Gravity robotaxis will be equipped with high-resolution cameras, solid-state lidar sensors, and radars, along with a roof-mounted “halo” designed to maximize sensor visibility. That halo will also include LEDs to help riders find the right car, display their initials, and show status updates. Uber said that, pending final validation, production on the robotaxi is expected to start later this year at Lucid’s Arizona factory.
