Rideshare giant Uber and Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD are collaborating to build a global robotaxi fleet.
As part of the partnership announced Thursday, Uber plans to add more than 100,000 BYD vehicles over the next few years. The expansion will focus first on Europe before moving to Latin America, the Middle East and North America.
Drivers will receive bonus discounts as part of the partnership, including deals on charging and vehicle maintenance.
All the while, the partnership will focus on expanding Uber’s robotaxi program. According to the deal, BYD’s autonomous capable vehicles will soon be available through Uber’s app.
“As the largest on-demand mobility and delivery platform in the world, Uber is well-positioned to bring autonomous vehicle technology to a global audience at scale,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Uber has already begun developing an autonomous taxi fleet and has partnered with Google’s Waymo robotaxi.
All this action comes as Tesla prepares its robotaxis for launch later this year. The company originally planned to start the program in certain Asian markets in August, but CEO Elon Musk delayed the project until October.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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