SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc will offer self-driving cars on its ride-hailing and food delivery platforms later this year through a partnership with Alphabet Inc’s Waymo, the companies said on Tuesday.
Uber customers will be able to use a set number of Waymo self-driving vehicles for rides and deliveries within an area of 180 square miles in Phoenix, Arizona, he said in a blog post on Tuesday.
Commercializing fully autonomous vehicles, particularly robotaxis, has been more difficult than expected, with strict regulations, complex technology and heavy investments forcing some to cut jobs and even go out of business. Has been done
For Uber, it’s a boost to self-driving ambitions as its car rental service reaches pre-pandemic levels.
“Fully autonomous driving is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life and we are excited to bring Waymo’s incredible technology to the Uber platform,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber.
The deal also unites two bitter rivals. Uber and Waymo got into a bitter public dispute over trade secrets after Waymo filed a lawsuit in 2017 alleging that one of its former engineers, who went on to head Uber’s self-driving car project, He took thousands of classified documents with him.
Uber eventually agreed to pay Waymo $245 million in stock and settled the matter.
Last year, Waymo and Uber’s freight unit partnered to help customers deploy autonomous trucks more efficiently.
