Lucid to begin Arizona production of robotaxis with Uber and Nuro later this year
Lucid Group Inc. plans to begin production in Arizona later this year of its robotaxis being developed with Uber Technologies and Nuro, the California-based electric vehicle company announced Monday.
The companies started testing engineering prototypes of the robotaxis last month in San Francisco, marking an important milestone in development and validation of the service ahead of its launch in the Bay Area in late 2026, according to Lucid’s announcement.
Nuro is leading the testing, which is supervised by autonomous vehicle operators. In the coming months, more than 100 Lucid Gravity vehicles will join the fleet as the companies continue to validate the robotaxi service.
“Our robotaxi program with Uber and Nuro is a key part of how Lucid is leveraging its technology to create a more sustainable future of mobility that is widely accessible,” Kay Stepper, vice president of ADAS and autonomous at Lucid, said in a statement. “Our engineering, range and interior comfort offers a unique platform, and when combined with Nuro’s technology and Uber’s scale, we are collectively building an experience like no other.”
Lucid, which manufactures its Lucid Gravity SUVs and Lucid Air sedans south of Phoenix in Casa Grande, initially announced the joint effort with Nuro and Uber last July to deploy at least 20,000 robotaxis in dozens of markets worldwide over six years, beginning with San Francisco, the Business Journal previously reported.
In addition to on-road testing, Lucid’s robotaxi program with Uber and Nuro includes closed-course testing and simulation to validate performance across a wide range of scenarios, according to the company.
Lucid (Nasdaq: LCID) expects to begin production of the robotaxis at its Casa Grande factory later this year, pending final validation of the vehicles.
The announcement from Lucid comes several weeks after rival Tesla was granted permit approval to operate its robotaxi ride-hailing service in Arizona from the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The Texas-based electric vehicle maker gained approval from ADOT on Nov. 17 for a Transportation Network Company permit, which allows it to operate an autonomous ride-hailing service similar to Waymo, but with a human safety driver present. Earlier in 2025, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had predicted that its driverless taxis would be operating in Arizona by the end of the year, but couldn’t make that self-imposed deadline.