Uber and associate Momenta will begin testing robotaxis in Europe subsequent 12 months

Uber and its new associate Momenta will begin testing an autonomous ride-sharing service in Europe in 2026, Momenta announced. The service will kick off in Munich, Germany utilizing Momenta’s self-driving tech and Uber’s ride-sharing platform, with the objective of future European growth. The businesses selected Munich to kick off the operation because of the metropolis’s “deep-rooted engineering heritage, top-tier automotive ecosystem and openness to innovation,” Momenta mentioned.

Momenta and Uber introduced a “strategic agreement” in Might this 12 months to launch a robotaxi service with security drivers aboard to begin with. Momenta was one among China’s first autonomous automobile firms and has been testing self-driving vehicles within the nation since 2018, with plans to roll out a industrial operation at its base in Shanghai subsequent 12 months. It additionally builds ADAS (superior driver help techniques) for main automakers together with Mercedes-Benz and Audi, with over 400,000 put in up to now.

Europe has been slower than the US and China to undertake self-driving taxis, however that has began to vary. Uber will probably be competing with Baidu, which announced plans to begin testing its Apollo Go self-driving service in Switzerland as early as this 12 months. One other firm, WeRide, launched its personal pilot program in Switzerland in January 2025 and began testing a driverless shuttle system in France shortly after that.

Elsewhere, Uber has partnered with different self-driving automobile firms together with WeRide, Pony.AI and Momenta within the Center East. It additionally has a deal with UK-based Wayve to launch self-driving experience sharing trials in London subsequent 12 months, and not too long ago mentioned it might supply ride-sharing providers in Los Angeles utilizing an autonomous model of Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz.

Uber and Momenta’s Munich service will use Degree 4 self-driving autos that may be operated with out a security driver in preset geographical areas. The businesses might want to acquire certification from the German authorities and approval for the “geofenced zones” the place it is allowed to function.

Uber initially deliberate to construct its personal self-driving vehicles however abandoned the idea in 2020 following the demise of a pedestrian and scandal round alleged commerce secret theft from Waymo. Since then, it has taken the route of partnering with autonomous automobile producers, including the aforementioned Waymo in Austin and Atlanta.