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Uber, Lucid Motors, and Nuro have revealed the production-intent version of their collaborative robotaxi at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show, and TechCrunch got a sneak peek ahead of the reveal.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a vehicle that\u2019s been in the works for more than half a year now, part of a deal that saw Uber invest $300 million into Lucid and commit to buying 20,000 of the company\u2019s EVs. On Monday, the companies said the robotaxi is already being tested on public roads ahead of a planned commercial service launching in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year.<\/p>\n
Based on the Lucid Gravity SUV, the robotaxi has high-resolution cameras, solid state lidar sensors, and radars integrated into the body and the roof-mounted \u201chalo.\u201d The autonomy package is powered by Nvidia\u2019s Drive AGX Thor computer. That halo also has integrated LED lights that will help riders identify their vehicle (similar to how Waymo\u2019s Jaguar I-Pace SUVs work).<\/p>\n
Crucially, all of this extra tech is added to the Gravity as it\u2019s being built at Lucid Motors\u2019 Casa Grande, Arizona factory, saving the companies some time and money. By comparison, Waymo currently has to take apart the I-Pace SUVs it receives from Jaguar and integrate the autonomous tech as it puts them back together. (Future Waymo vehicles are planned to be more purpose-built.)<\/p>\n The vehicle unveiled on Monday is a more polished-up version of the test version that the three companies have spent the last seven months showing off in press photos. The newest element revealed at CES has to do with how users will interface with the Uber-Lucid-Nuro robotaxi. That includes a small screen on the halo meant to greet riders and a ride interface inside the cabin.<\/p>\n Anyone who has ridden in a Waymo will find this UI experience familiar. The rear passenger screen shows an isometric graphical view of the robotaxi moving through city streets, with representations of nearby cars and pedestrians. <\/p>\n The companies did not have an interactive version of the software \u2014 which is being created by Uber \u2014 ready to test out just yet. But it has been built to show the standard information like estimated drop-off time, how much ride time is remaining, and climate and music controls. There are also buttons to reach rider support and to tell the robotaxi to pull over.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> The front passenger screen shows a lot of the same information, just on a larger central touchscreen display. In the demonstration car on display at the Fontainebleau hotel, a lot of the same elements appeared on the Gravity\u2019s sweeping 34-inch curved OLED display, which sits behind the steering wheel. <\/p>\n Uber chose to build this forthcoming \u201cpremium\u201d robotaxi service around the Gravity, and at a high level it seems like a wise decision. The Gravity is immensely spacious inside, especially in the two-row configuration on display at the hotel. (Uber says a three-row version will be available, too.) <\/p>\n That said, the Gravity\u2019s first full year came with struggles. Lucid fought with software issues as it ramped up production of the SUV, and the problems got bad enough that interim CEO Marc Winterhoff sent an email to owners in December apologizing for the \u201cfrustrations\u201d they experienced. <\/p>\n Lucid has seemingly been able to bounce back from that, and on Monday announced<\/a> that it doubled its 2024 production figures and reached new sales records. Time will tell if the robotaxi version has any of the same kinds of software struggles.<\/p>\n Uber, Lucid, and Nuro said Monday that once final validation is complete on the robotaxi later this year, true production versions will start rolling off Lucid\u2019s factory lines in Arizona. The companies did not give a concrete timeline for that, though.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n