Uber announced on Wednesday that it is committing over $100 million to develop autonomous vehicle charging hubs across the United States, as it aims to position itself as a major robotaxi player.
The fast-charging stations will initially be built in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas, where the company also plans to launch public robotaxi services with technology partners to compete with Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo.
The rollout is expected to extend to more cities in the future.
According to an Uber spokesperson cited by Bloomberg, the investment “will cover site development costs, equipment, grid connection, and associated capital expenditure for developing the charging infrastructure.”
The ride-share giant wrote in a statement that owning some chargers “improves efficiency, lowers costs and keeps vehicles on the road longer, maximizing utilization and uptime.”
The charging hubs will be located at Uber‘s autonomous depots, where the company manages day-to-day fleet operations including cleaning, maintenance, and inspections, as well as at pit stops throughout priority cities.
Uber‘s AV push has drawn skepticism from Wall Street investors, with shares down 14% this year. Bearish analysts warn that Waymo and other expanding robotaxi services will consume Uber‘s and Lyft’s market value.
Lucid, Nuro, and Volkswagen
The Bay Area charging hubs will support the deployment of Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with Nuro’s autonomous driving system, which Uber plans to launch as robotaxis exclusively through its app later this year.
Last July, Uber announced a $300 million investment in Lucid and a separate agreement to purchase at least 20,000 Gravity SUVs over six years for its robotaxi fleet.
Lucid confirmed the deal was closed in September.
Uber also invested an undisclosed amount in Nuro as part of an August funding round that included Nvidia, totaling $203 million.
A Lucid Gravity with Nuro’s autonomous system was recently spotted on public roads in Santa Clara, California, marking the vehicle’s first public sighting in traffic.
In Los Angeles, Uber plans to launch Volkswagen AG’s autonomous vans on its platform this year.
The firm expects to offer autonomous vehicles exclusively through its app in at least ten cities by year-end, including the launch of Lucid-Nuro’s robotaxis in the San Francisco Bay Area and Volkswagen AG’s autonomous vans in Los Angeles.
Although the company specifically works alongside Waymo in Austin and Atlanta, the spokesperson declined to comment on whether the firm may use its new fast-chargers, stating that these “are designed for cars that are on the Uber network”.
Uber currently offers robotaxis through partnerships with Waymo and WeRide in four US cities, as well as in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh.
Earlier this month, Uber defended its AV strategy, announcing capital commitments to vehicle partners to secure early supply and accelerate deployments based on what it called a structural platform advantage.
The company has partnered with more than 20 firms worldwide on self-driving freight, delivery, and taxi services.
New EV Deals
Separately, Uber announced new agreements with charging operators in international markets under which the company will provide utilization guarantees to support the deployment of new infrastructure.
The partners include EVgo Inc. in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston, Electra in Paris and Madrid, and Hubber and Ionity in London.
Under the agreements, Uber will make guaranteed payments if its drivers don’t meet minimum charging utilization levels.
The deals are expected to support the rollout of more than 1,000 new chargers globally.
The move follows a 2025 survey in which drivers expressed concern over access to fast-charging stations rather than “the cost of owning an EV,” as reported by Bloomberg.
In December, the company began offering one-time grants to EV drivers who switch from non-electric cars, replacingits previous monthly bonus program.
Tesla
In April last year, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company would “love to work” with Tesla, emphasizing that Uber would maximize its robotaxis’ revenue by making them available on the ride-hailing platform.
“The pitch is simple, which is… if you’re looking to maximize the revenue of those robotaxis today, we are your ticket to that maximization of that revenue,” Khosrowshahi stated.
