Uber Expands Autonomous Vehicle Network with New Partnership in China
Uber announced a new alliance with Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta, continuing its strategy of partnering with external firms to advance self-driving technology, rather than developing it internally.
The collaboration with Momenta will see its robotaxis integrated into the Uber platform starting in Europe in early 2026. The vehicles will initially include onboard safety operators to monitor operations.
This announcement comes just a day after Uber revealed a similar deal with May Mobility, a self-driving company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Uber’s growing network of autonomous vehicle (AV) partners now includes notable names like Waymo, Volkswagen, Wayve, and WeRide.
Momenta CEO Xudong Cao called the partnership a critical step, saying it “completes the key ecosystem needed to scale autonomous driving globally.”
These strategic moves come amid anticipation that Tesla may soon enter the ride-hailing space directly. CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla’s robotaxi service could debut in Austin this summer, touting a future in which all Tesla vehicles could become autonomous ride-hailers with a simple software update.
Uber, which previously operated its own AV unit, exited the in-house development race by selling its self-driving division to Aurora Innovation in 2020. Now, it is leveraging its ride-hailing and delivery dominance by integrating AV technology from a broad range of global partners.
