The robotaxi industry is poised for big growth. Uber apparently wants to make sure it’s in the driver’s seat.
The ride-hailing company announced Wednesday that it will spend more than $100 million to build autonomous vehicle charging stations in US cities, starting in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas, with more cities to be added later.
Uber currently operates robotaxis in Atlanta and Austin, through a partnership with Waymo. Waymo dominates the robotaxi market in the US, with operations in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. But the industry is growing fast. Grand View Research forecasts the robotaxi market to increase from an estimated $610 million last year to $147.25 billion by 2033.
Uber also operates autonomous vehicle fleets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and said it expects to add at least London and Munich to its global operations. It said it plans to offer autonomous vehicles for riders in at least 10 cities by the end of 2026.
The charging stations will be situated at new autonomous vehicle depots, which will also conduct cleaning, maintenance and inspections.
Uber said it will also develop DCFC charging stations at “pit stops” located in its priority cities. (DCFC is the fastest method to charge EVs and can typically deliver close to a full charge in less than an hour.
Pradeep Parameswaran, Uber’s global head of mobility, said the planned development is necessary to meet the growth of the autonomous vehicle industry.
“Cities can only unlock the full promise of autonomy and electrification if the right charging infrastructure is built for scale,” Parameswaran said in a statement. “We’re helping cities prepare for an autonomous, all-electric future while making charging easier and more affordable for drivers.”
More charging stations for human-driven EVs, too
Uber also will be beefing up resources for its human drivers who use EVs, saying it will be partnering with charge point operators to add more than 1,000 chargers in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, London, Paris and Madrid. As an incentive to develop new charging stations, it plans guaranteed payments to those site operators if usage is low.
These partnerships include EVgo in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston; Hubber and Ionity in London; and Electra in Paris and Madrid.
Uber drivers will be able to get charging discounts, which will vary by city and provider, the company said.
Mark Watts, executive director of C40 Cities, a network of mayors around the world confronting the climate crisis, said in a statement that adding chargers in low-income areas will help ride-hail drivers “to reap benefits of more affordable operations, better income, and healthier communities.”
