Uber and Nuro have launched an initial testing phase for a premium robotaxi service in San Francisco, allowing select employees to request rides via the Uber app.
The vehicles used in the trial are Lucid Gravity SUVs outfitted with Nuro’s autonomous driving system. While the vehicles currently operate in autonomous mode, Nuro confirmed to TechCrunch that a human safety operator remains behind the wheel as a backup.
This pilot program follows a major partnership and investment agreement between the companies announced in July 2025. As part of that deal, Uber invested $300 million in Lucid and committed to purchasing at least 20,000 Gravity SUVs over the next six years.
The technology behind the fleet
The robotaxi fleet relies on Nuro’s autonomous software, which is powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer. The modified Lucid Gravity models feature a suite of sensors, including high-resolution cameras, radar, and solid-state lidar, to navigate urban environments.
Uber also provided a multi-hundred-million dollar investment into Nuro to support the development of the service. The ride-hailing giant plans to own and operate the premium service, likely through a third-party partner.
Nuro has already transitioned from closed-course testing to public road trials in several U.S. cities. The company currently maintains an engineering fleet of 100 Lucid Gravity SUVs to collect real-world driving data.
Production of the specialized robotaxi vehicles is scheduled to begin in late 2026, according to a recent regulatory filing. Uber aims to launch the service to the general public later this year.
