Key Highlights

  • Uber commits to investing as much as $1.25 billion in Rivian over the next six years
  • A $300 million upfront payment will occur after deal completion, subject to regulatory clearance
  • Uber secures the right to acquire 10,000 autonomous R2 vehicles, plus an additional 40,000 units starting in 2030
  • Service debuts in San Francisco and Miami during 2028, followed by expansion to 25 metropolitan areas spanning the U.S., Canada, and Europe
  • Rivian shares climbed approximately 8% during Thursday’s premarket session

Uber Technologies and Rivian Automotive unveiled a transformative robotaxi collaboration on Thursday. The agreement calls for Uber to commit up to $1.25 billion to Rivian while deploying as many as 50,000 self-driving vehicles across its mobility network by 2031.

Rivian’s shares jumped approximately 8% during premarket hours following the announcement. The gain offers some relief for investors, as the stock had declined more than 14% year-to-date prior to this news.


RIVN Stock Card
Rivian Automotive, Inc., RIVN

Uber’s shares remained relatively unchanged after the partnership reveal.

The agreement includes an upfront $300 million capital infusion that will arrive soon after deal closure, pending regulatory clearance. This investment translates to approximately 19.55 million Rivian shares.

Four additional investment payments are structured into the deal, each contingent upon achieving specific performance targets at dates yet to be disclosed through 2031.

Uber — along with its affiliated fleet operators — will acquire 10,000 autonomous versions of Rivian’s forthcoming R2 model. The agreement includes provisions for purchasing up to 40,000 additional self-driving vehicles beginning in 2030.

The R2 consumer version is scheduled to reach showrooms this spring. Rivian has been advancing its autonomous capabilities, marking the milestone with its inaugural “Autonomy and AI Day” event in December.

Deployment Strategy

The autonomous fleet will function exclusively within Uber’s ride-sharing and logistics ecosystem. Initial operations will commence in San Francisco and Miami during 2028, with subsequent rollout to 25 urban markets throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi highlighted Rivian’s vertically integrated development model — encompassing vehicle design, computational architecture, and software engineering — as a primary factor behind the partnership decision.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe emphasized the company’s proprietary inference platform, designated RAP1, along with its multi-modal perception technology as catalysts accelerating autonomous development.

Uber has also committed to paying licensing fees for access to Rivian’s self-driving software, according to Thursday’s regulatory disclosure.

Rivian’s Financial Landscape

This partnership arrives during an active capital-raising period for Rivian. The company finalized a $5.8 billion software collaboration with Volkswagen in late 2024.

For Uber, this represents another advancement in its autonomous vehicle strategy. Recent announcements have included partnerships with Lucid, Amazon’s Zoox, Stellantis, and Nvidia.

Waymo, supported by Alphabet, maintains its position as the dominant player in America’s robotaxi sector. Rivian’s R2 platform aims to challenge that leadership.

Scaringe stated during Rivian’s Q3 2025 earnings discussion that artificial intelligence combined with enhanced processing capabilities represent the breakthrough enabling large-scale robotaxi deployment.

This agreement represents Rivian’s most substantial commercial autonomous vehicle initiative to date, with Uber delivering both financial backing and market access.