Chron got a first look at the robotaxis expected to be accessible through Uber by mid-2027
Ahmed Humble
Uber says Houston will become one of the first cities to receive its new robotaxi service developed with Nuro and Lucid.
Ahmed Humble (Chron)
Another driverless ride service is headed for Houston, as Uber unveiled plans for a new robotaxi network built with Lucid and Nuro.
Uber announced Tuesday that Houston will become the second planned market for its new robotaxi service developed in partnership with autonomous driving company Nuro and electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid. The companies said the service is expected to launch in Houston in mid-2027, following an initial rollout later this year in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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As part of the announcement, Uber, Lucid and Nuro hosted a private showcase Tuesday evening that offered guests—including Chron—a first look at the sleek autonomous vehicle that could eventually transport riders across Houston.
The vehicle, based on Lucid’s Gravity SUV platform, features a distinctive roof-mounted sensor array packed with cameras, lidar sensors and radar systems designed to provide what the companies describe as 360-degree perception of its surroundings.
“We launched our first Lucid vehicle in 2021…and it won several accolades and many awards,” Kay Stepper, Vice President of ADAS and Autonomy at Lucid, told Chron in an interview. “It didn’t take us long at all to deliver a robotaxi-ready vehicle in this program, because we designed it for serious production…that’s what makes us truly unique to other offerings.”
According to Uber, autonomous testing is already underway on Houston roads as the company prepares for a wider launch. The robotaxi engineering fleet currently includes nearly 100 vehicles operating across Texas and California around the clock.
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“Houston marks an important next step in our partnership with Lucid and Nuro as we expand autonomous mobility to more riders throughout the world,” Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber said in a public statement. “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’s role in the project extends beyond simply serving as a future launch market.
The vehicle, based on Lucid’s Gravity SUV platform, features a distinctive roof-mounted sensor array packed with cameras, lidar sensors and radar systems designed to provide what the companies describe as 360-degree perception of its surroundings.
Ahmed Humble (Chron)
Uber announced it has secured a 50,000-square-foot depot facility and dedicated charging hub in Houston that will support day-to-day robotaxi operations, including charging, maintenance, repairs and cleaning. The facility is expected to have access to more than four megawatts of power, 40 fast chargers and 15 maintenance bays. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2027.
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“Houston marks an important next step in our partnership with Lucid and Nuro as we expand autonomous mobility to more riders throughout the world,” Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said in a statement.
For Nuro, the announcement represents the latest chapter in a relationship with Houston that stretches back several years.
“We got here in 2019 and we’ve been operating autonomous vehicles here ever since,” James Owens, Nuro’s chief legal and policy officer, said during Tuesday’s event. Owens noted that Houston was home to some of the company’s earliest autonomous delivery operations and said the company has spent years working with local officials, first responders and community leaders while testing the technology.
Owens also argued that autonomous vehicles could help address broader roadway safety challenges.
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“We lose nearly 40,000 lives every single year on our roads,” Owens said. “Status quo is unacceptable. It has to change. Something has to change. We want to be part of that change.”
The companies say the robotaxi service will operate exclusively through the Uber platform as part of a broader partnership announced in 2025. Uber has previously said it hopes to deploy at least 35,000 autonomous Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro’s self-driving technology across dozens of markets over the next six years.
“It’s wonderful,” Stepper told Chron when asked about making the robotaxi easily accessible through Uber. “We are through and through all about changing mobility and making it accessible for everyone.”
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“We have the highest efficiency and the highest range,” he added. “Range anxiety is a thing of the past because this particular vehicle is 400 miles and after an 11-minute charge can deliver a range of up to 200 miles.”
For now, Houstonians will have to wait a little longer before summoning one of the vehicles through the Uber app.