While the emergence of driverless taxi services might sound like a threat to Uber’s business, the company is making new investments aimed at ensuring its success.
Uber announced Wednesday that it is investing more than $100 million to build autonomous vehicle–dedicated charging hubs. The company says it will begin rolling out these hubs in the U.S. in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Dallas, with more cities to come in the future.
“Cities can only unlock the full promise of autonomy and electrification if the right charging infrastructure is built for scale. That infrastructure needs to work for today’s drivers and the fleets of the future,” Uber Global Head of Mobility Pradeep Parameswaran told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. “By combining our unrivalled data, in-app technology, and putting capital on the table – we’re helping cities prepare for an autonomous, all-electric future while making charging easier and more affordable for drivers.”
The hubs will include fast-charging stations at what the company is calling its autonomous depots, where Uber handles day-to-day fleet operations like cleaning, maintenance, and inspections.
The company also plans to build additional fast-charging pit stop stations in convenient locations across priority cities, allowing these self-driving vehicles to stay on the road longer.
The announcement arrives as Uber faces slow but growing competition from robotaxi operators such as Alphabet’s Waymo and Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin. Waymo already operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Miami, and recently unveiled its sixth-generation autonomous driving system alongside plans to scale production of its fleet.
Uber’s stock is down roughly 10% over the past year, though shares rose about 3% following the announcement.
In a world with self-driving taxis, Uber seems be aiming to turn potential enemies into partners. The ride-hailing company already manages Waymo’s fleet operations in Austin and Atlanta.
Uber said it expects to deploy autonomous vehicle services on its network in at least 10 cities by the end of 2026, working with partners that include Lucid and Nuro.
In a separate initiative, Uber said it will help “unlock” more than $100 million in new public EV charging infrastructure by offering utilization guarantees to charging providers. The company will use its trip data to identify where chargers are most needed and help ensure they are actually used. The effort will target New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, London, Paris, and Madrid. Uber says it has already reached agreements with several charging companies, including EVgo, Hubber, and Electra.
Uber is also updating its Driver app with real-time charging recommendations, helping drivers find nearby stations with shorter wait times and available discounts.
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