Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro unveiled a production version of their joint robotaxi at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show. TechCrunch took a peek at some of it ahead of its announcement.
The vehicle, which has been in development for more than six months, is part of a deal in which Uber has invested $300 million in Lucid and pledged to buy 20,000 of the company’s electric vehicles. The companies announced Monday that the robotaxi is already being tested on public roads ahead of the planned launch of commercial service in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year.
Based on the Lucid Gravity SUV, the robotaxi integrates high-resolution cameras, solid-state LIDAR sensors, and radar into a “halo” mounted on the vehicle’s body and roof. The Autonomy package utilizes Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer. The halo also includes LED lights to help riders identify their vehicle (similar to how Waymo’s Jaguar I-Pace SUV works).
Importantly, all of this additional technology is added to Gravity, which is manufactured at Lucid Motors’ Casa Grande factory in Arizona, saving the company time and money. Waymo, by contrast, currently has to disassemble the I-Pace SUVs it receives from Jaguar and integrate self-driving technology when putting them back together. (Future Waymo vehicles will be more purpose-built.)
The vehicle unveiled on Monday is a further refinement of test versions that the three companies have been showing off in press photos over the past seven months. The latest element revealed at CES concerns how users will interact with the Uber-Lucid-Nuro robotaxi. This includes a small screen on the halo to greet the rider and the ride interface inside the cabin.
Anyone who has ridden a Waymo will find this UI experience familiar. The rear passenger screen shows an isometric view of the robotaxi moving through the city streets, as well as nearby cars and pedestrians.
The companies didn’t yet have an interactive version of the software Uber was developing ready to test. However, it is built to display standard information such as estimated drop-off time, remaining ride time, and climate and music controls. There are also buttons to contact rider support and instruct the robotaxi to stop.
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The passenger screen shows much of the same information on a large central touchscreen display. The demo car on display at the Fontainebleau Hotel showed many of the same elements on Gravity’s expansive 34-inch curved OLED display behind the steering wheel.
Uber has chosen to build this upcoming “premium” robotaxi service around Gravity, and broadly speaking, this seems like a wise decision. The Gravity’s interior is very spacious, especially in the two-row configuration on display at the hotel. (Uber says there will also be a three-row version.)
That being said, Gravity’s first full year was a struggle. Lucid battled software issues as it ramped up production of its SUVs, but the problems became so severe that interim CEO Mark Winterhoff sent an email in December apologizing for the “frustration” caused to owners.
Lucid seems to have bounced back from that, announcing on Monday that it had doubled its production in 2024, setting a new record. Time will tell if the Robotaxi version also has the same kind of software issues.
Uber, Lucid and Nuro announced Monday that once final validation of the robotaxis is completed later this year, true production versions will begin rolling off Lucid’s factory lines in Arizona. However, the two companies did not disclose specific schedules.
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