- Houston named as the second planned deployment market, with service expected to launch in mid-2027, and dozens of additional markets over the coming years.
- Nuro is conducting 24/7 autonomous on-road testing with safety operators in Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Uber has secured a 50,000 sq ft Houston depot and additional pitstop to support future robotaxi fleet operations.
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER), Nuro, Inc. (“Nuro”), and Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID) today announced Houston as the second planned market for their robotaxi program, following the San Francisco Bay Area launch later this year. The companies expect to launch the service in Houston in mid-2027 exclusively through the Uber network, with plans to expand the service to dozens of additional markets over the coming years.
Nuro is already conducting autonomous on-road testing with safety operators in Houston, marking an important step toward the program’s future commercial deployment in the city. The company is leading autonomous driving development and validation for the program through a measured approach that includes simulation, closed-course testing, and supervised public-road testing. The robotaxi engineering fleet supporting this work includes nearly 100 vehicles across California and Texas, with operations running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The test fleet is expected to expand further in the coming weeks as Lucid manufactures the first production validation robotaxis at its Arizona factory, which will also be used for safety testing and homologation.
It was also announced that Uber has secured a 50,000-square-foot depot facility and dedicated charging pitstop in Houston. The facilities will serve as the operational backbone for Uber’s autonomous robotaxi program—supporting a fleet of Lucid Gravity robotaxis powered by Nuro’s autonomous technology—and will enable Uber and its fleet partners to manage charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning, and other day-to-day fleet operations at scale.
As the fourth-largest city in the U.S., Houston offers the scale, trip diversity, and clear regulatory framework that make it a compelling market for autonomous mobility. It is also a familiar market for Nuro, which has maintained a presence in the city since 2019 and conducted Level 4 autonomous operations on Houston public roads. Safety remains Nuro’s highest priority, and the company has built local experience and deep relationships with communities, first responders, and policymakers that inform its work today.
“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. “Together, we’re combining best-in-class vehicle and autonomy technology with Uber’s scale, fleet operations expertise, and infrastructure capabilities to build a service that can grow across dozens of markets in the years ahead.”
“Houston is a city Nuro knows well, and we’re excited to help bring this robotaxi service to the city through our partnership with Uber and Lucid,” said Andrew Chapin, Chief Operating Officer at Nuro. “Houston’s large, complex metro area is an ideal market for demonstrating how Nuro’s universal autonomy platform can generalize across different geographies and operating environments. We look forward to continued engagement with the community as we prepare to launch service in 2027.”
“Our partnership with Uber and Nuro continues to accelerate at a remarkable pace, and the launch of our program in Houston next year will be another major milestone,” said Kay Stepper, Vice President of ADAS and Autonomy at Lucid. “Our rapid progress toward commercial launch showcases how Lucid’s technology and engineering are ideally suited to power the future of autonomous mobility and we look forward to working with our partners to bring that premium experience to even more riders next year.”
Announced in July 2025, the global robotaxi program brings together Lucid’s advanced electric vehicles and factory integration, Nuro’s Level 4 universal autonomy platform and validation expertise, and Uber’s global ride-hailing platform, fleet operations, and rider network. The program will initially launch in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year and calls for a minimum of 35,000 vehicles globally across dozens of markets over the coming years.
The robotaxi service will leverage the award-winning Lucid Gravity as well as future Lucid Midsize vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver™, Nuro’s Level 4 universal autonomy platform, and includes a redundant sensor suite with cameras, lidar, radar, and a roof-mounted halo. Uber is designing the broader in-cabin experience, including personalization, support, and rider controls, with autonomy visualization provided by Nuro. The vehicles will be owned and operated by Uber and its fleet partners and made available to riders exclusively through the Uber network.
