Uber and Chinese self-driving vehicle technology company Weride are planning to expand its commercial Robotaxi partnership and serve another 15 cities over the next five years. The expansion comes five months after the two companies launched their commercial Robotaki service in Abu Dhabi.
As part of that expansion, Uber will increase its investment in Weride by $100 million, according to regulatory filings Wednesday. Weride said it expects cash to pass by the second half of 2025.
The business said the expansion would include European cities. Under the partnership, Weride’s Robotaxi service is available through the Uber app. This relationship is similar to Uber’s deal with Waymo, where the passenger company handles network routing and fleet operations, but the self-driving car company remains responsible for AV Tech.
Uber and Weride, released on NASDAQ in late October, announced plans to run together in Abu Dhabi and add Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, they work with local Tawasul transport to handle fleet operations.
An additional 15 cities will focus on cities outside China and the US.
Over the past two years, Uber has locked in more than 15 autonomous vehicle technology companies with more than 15 partnerships across ride, delivery and trucking. For the past two months, Uber has announced deals with May Mobility Volkswagen, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and with Chinese autonomous driving company Momenta.
It is the most popular partnership in the United States, and the one operating commercially today comes with Waymo. Companies offer Waymo with Uber services in Austin and are trying to do the same in Atlanta.
This story was originally released on May 5th. This was refreshed with Uber’s capital commitment to Weride.
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