The Rivian R2 is on display during the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Josh Lefkowitz | Getty Images
Uber Technologies plans to invest up to $1.25 billion in electric vehicle maker Rivian Automobile as part of a deal to deploy up to 50,000 robotaxis in multiple countries through 2031, the companies announced Thursday.
The tie-up calls for Uber, or its fleet partners, to purchase 10,000 autonomous versions of Rivian’s upcoming R2 electric vehicle, with the option to purchase up to 40,000 additional robotaxis starting in 2030, according to a statement from the companies.
Shares of Rivian rose about 8% to 10% in premarket trading Thursday, while shares of Uber were relatively flat following the announcement.
The deal is the latest in a resurgence of announcements regarding autonomous vehicles and robo-taxis, as companies try to capitalize on what investors predict will be a multibillion-dollar market. Many companies, including Uber, have failed to achieve their robotaxis goals.
An initial $300 million investment from Uber to Rivian, which is preparing to begin R2 sales to consumers this spring, is expected soon after the deal is signed, subject to regulatory approval, according to the release. This investment equates to approximately 19.55 million shares of the automaker, a Rivian spokesperson confirmed.
Four more investment tranches will take place subject to reaching certain milestones at unspecified dates through 2031, according to a public filing released Thursday by the automaker. Uber would also have to pay certain licensing fees related to its use of Rivian’s self-driving system software, the filing said.
The companies said the R2 robo-taxis are expected to be available exclusively through Uber’s ride-hailing and delivery platform in 25 cities in the United States, Canada and Europe. The first cities are expected to be San Francisco and Miami in 2028, they said.
“We strongly believe in Rivian’s approach: designing the vehicle, computing platform and software stack together, while maintaining end-to-end control of manufacturing and sourcing at scale in the United States,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in the release. “This vertical integration, combined with data from their growing consumer vehicle base and experience managing the complexities of commercial fleets, gives us the confidence to set these ambitious but achievable goals.”
The deal is the latest capital investment for Rivian following a $5.8 billion software deal with German automaker Volkswagen announced in late 2024. It also marks an increase in Uber’s robotaxis plans following recent announcements with the electric vehicle maker. Lucid, from Amazon Zoox, parent of Chrysler Stellantis and tech giant Nvidia.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has recently started talking about the company’s robotaxis ambitions, including during the electric vehicle maker’s third-quarter earnings conference call in November and at its first-ever “Autonomy and AI Day” in December.
Scaringe said Rivian’s upcoming R2 and the technologies that support it would allow the company to continue its robotaxis business, which is currently dominated in the United States by Alphabet-backed Waymo.
Rivian Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe speaks at the company’s inaugural Autonomy and AI Day, showcasing developments in self-driving technology, in Palo Alto, California, United States, December 11, 2025.
Carlos Barría | Reuters
Scaringe and other executives said the emergence of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and more capable semiconductor chips, will allow companies to finally succeed with robotaxis.
“The magnitude of Rivian’s growing data flywheel associated with RAP1 [Rivian Autonomy Processor]our industry-leading in-house inference platform and multi-modal perception platform make us incredibly excited about Rivian’s rapid advancement of autonomy over the next two years,” Scaringe said in Thursday’s release.
— CNBC Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.