Uber is reviving its robotaxi dreams — with help from some former rivals

Uber will likely face some challenges in its bid to go big on robotaxis, however.

Joseph Teasdale, head of tech at research firm Enders Analysis, told BI that technical issues will prove challenging for a full-scale robotaxi rollout.

Though advances in the technology put forward by the likes of Wayve are raising the prospects for driverless cars to navigate roads beyond geofenced areas, the industry remains a way off from creating a vehicle that is capable on all roads.

Teasdale added: “The problem for Uber is that fully replacing drivers with robots is really, really difficult. Progress on full autonomy has lagged all but the most pessimistic projections of seven or eight years ago.”

Meanwhile, safety concerns around the technology remain front and center.

One of Uber’s newest partners, Cruise, has been mired in controversy following an incident involving a pedestrian and one of its vehicles in San Francisco last year. That has led to investigations into the safety of Cruise’s technology.

Still, it’s clear Uber is getting serious again about robotaxis. This time though, it’ll have to trust others to get them on the streets.