The Rivian R2 is displayed 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 Automotive As part of a deal to deploy 50,000 robotaxis across multiple countries by 2031, the companies announced Thursday.
Expectations included in this alliance uberto purchase 10,000 autonomous versions of Rivian’s upcoming R2 electric vehicle, or its fleet partners, with an option to purchase up to 40,000 robotaxis starting in 2030, according to a release from the companies.
Rivian shares were up nearly 10% during premarket trading Thursday, while Uber’s stock was relatively flat after the announcement.
The deal is the latest in a resurgence of announcements about autonomous vehicles and robotaxis, as companies attempt to capitalize on what investors anticipate as a multitrillion-dollar market. When it comes to robotaxis, many companies, including Uber, have failed to achieve their goals in the past.
An initial $300 million investment from Uber to Rivian, which is preparing to begin selling the R2 to consumers this spring, is expected to take place soon after the deal is signed, subject to regulatory approval, according to the release.
Other investment phases will follow by unspecified dates through 2031, subject to achieving certain milestones, the companies said. The R2 robotaxis are expected to be available exclusively through Uber’s platform in 25 cities across the US, Canada and Europe, the companies said. He said the plan is to build San Francisco and Miami as the first cities in 2028.
“We are big believers in Rivian’s approach – designing the vehicle, compute platform and software stack together, while maintaining end-to-end control over manufacturing and supply at scale in the US,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in the release. “That vertical integration, combined with the data from their growing consumer vehicle base and experience managing the complexities of commercial fleets, gives us the conviction 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 plans for robotaxis following recent announcements with the EV manufacturer. clear meaning, Amazon’s Zoox, Chrysler parent Stellantis and tech giants NVIDIA.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe recently started talking about the company’s ambitions for robotaxis, including at the EV-maker’s third-quarter results in November and its first “Autonomy and AI Day” in December.
Scaringe said Rivian’s upcoming R2 and the technologies supporting it will enable the company to advance robotaxis, which is currently dominated in the US by Alphabet-backed Waymo.
Rivian Chief Executive RJ Scaringe speaks while showcasing developments in self-driving technology at the company’s first Autonomy and AI Day in Palo Alto, California, US, on December 11, 2025.
Carlos Barria reuters
Scaringe and other executives have said that the emergence of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and more capable semiconductor chips, will eventually allow companies to succeed with robotaxis.
“The scale of Rivian’s growing data flywheel, combined with RAP1 (Rivian Autonomy Processor), our cutting-edge in-house inference platform, and our multi-modal perception platform make us incredibly excited for the rapid progress of Rivian Autonomy over the next few years,” Scaringe said in the release Thursday.
— cnbc Lora Kolodny Contributed to this report.
