Uber, Lucid to Deploy Up to 35,000 Lucid Robotaxis in Houston by 2027
TSLA•Uber and Lucid selected Houston as the second market for autonomous ride-hailing, planning a mid-2027 launch to deploy up to 35,000 Lucid Gravity robotaxis. The program follows a $750 million funding round, adds a 50,000-square-foot depot with 40 fast chargers and initiates testing on nearly 100 vehicles.
1. Market Expansion to Houston
Houston has been named the second commercial market for the Uber–Lucid autonomous ride-hailing venture, following the San Francisco Bay Area rollout later this year. Service in Houston is slated to begin in mid-2027, marking a significant step in scaling the program beyond its initial testing grounds.
2. Funding and Vehicle Deployment
The partnership secured $750 million in fresh capital, including $550 million from a Public Investment Fund affiliate and $200 million from an Uber subsidiary. Under the six-year agreement, Uber will deploy at least 35,000 Lucid Gravity robotaxis equipped with the Nuro Driver software stack.
3. Infrastructure and Testing
Autonomous on-road testing is already underway across California and Texas with nearly 100 vehicles operating around the clock. A dedicated 50,000-square-foot depot in Houston will provide charging, maintenance and cleaning, drawing over 4 megawatts of power to support 40 fast chargers and 15 maintenance bays.
4. Competitive Implications for Tesla
The expansion intensifies competition in the robotaxi sector where Tesla also seeks to commercialize its self-driving fleet. As Uber and Lucid build out infrastructure and scale operations, Tesla faces mounting pressure to accelerate its own robotaxi deployment and validation processes.
