Uber is launching its AV Lab project by putting autonomous-sensor vehicles back on public roads. The vehicles will be equipped with cameras, lidar, and radar, along with other hardware typical of self-driving cars. The cars will not run as robotaxis; they will be manually driven while operating on Uber’s ride-hail network. This approach is intended to generate revenue through regular Uber trips while collecting data. Uber previously sold its AV division in 2020 after a self-driving car killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona. Since then, Uber has partnered with many AV startups and now plans to provide them with data by deploying sensor-equipped vehicles for broader exposure to real-world driving conditions.
"Uber is putting its own autonomous vehicles back on the road as part of its new AV Lab project to collect data for its dozens of robotaxi partners. The cars will be fitted with all the sensors typical of self-driving cars, like cameras, lidar, and radar. But notably the vehicles will not be operating as robotaxis, just gathering data for Uber's dozens of robotaxi partners."
"That's important distinction, especially if you know anything about Uber's fraught history with self-driving cars. Uber sold off its AV division in 2020 after one of its self-driving cars killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona. Since then, the company has formed partnerships with dozens of AV startups, preferring instead to be the go-to platform for the technology rather than a developer."
"But those startups are hungry for data, so Uber is hitting the road. The company is deploying a fleet of vehicles with all the necessary hardware for autonomous driving on its ridehail network. These vehicles, which will be manually driven, will generate revenue and complete regular Uber trips, Balaji Krishnamurthy, the company's chief financial officer, said on X."
"More importantly, they'll be "getting exposure to the variety of '"
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