Uber Doublesโค Down on Self-Driving Cars as EV Market Cools
NEW YORK – Facing a slowdown in electric vehicle adoption, Uber is placing โคa significant bet on autonomous vehicle (AV) technology to revitalize growth, according to CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.The ride-sharing giant isโ expanding โฃitsโค AV operationsโ globallyโ through key partnerships and anticipates widespread deployment in the coming โฃyears.
Uber is currently piloting autonomous rides in the U.S. through a partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo, and internationally โขwith China-based WeRide in cities โขlike Dubai and Abu Dhabi, โutilizing human safety drivers. The company plans to launch AV services โin Germany later this year and introduce โnew projects across Asia,bringing โits total number of AV partners worldwide to approximately 20.
Khosrowshahi emphasized the safety benefits of AVs, stating they are “five times โฃsafer than humans” due to their lack of distractions and extensive operational mileage – often exceeding 1,000 times the distance a typical driverโค travels.โ He also highlighted the economic advantagesโ of deploying AVs in existing Uber networks,noting the high vehicle costs,which can exceed $100,000 per car,and the need โfor “highly utilized” fleets.
Looking ahead, Uber anticipates AVs will eventually lower fares and increase demand, especially through shared autonomous rides. The company is already investing in servicesโข likeโ UberX Share to facilitate cost-splitting and reduce congestion. โ
recent advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly โlargeโข language models, have been instrumental โin accelerating AV progress.Khosrowshahi believes these systems โคare “finally ready for prime time,” citing the “extraordinary” rate of progress in both technology and safety.
