Uber, Stellantis, Nvidia, and Foxconn make a robotaxi deal

Robotaxis fever is back, baby! After a number of self-driving projects by automakers were halted due to concerns about safety and costs, automakers are expressing renewed interest in self-driving cars, and particularly robo-taxis. Stellantis, which oversees brands like Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler, today announced a “new collaboration” with a wide range of companies, including Nvidia, Foxconn and Uber, to launch its own robotaxi service.

It will work something like this: Stellantis will build the vehicles, Nvidia and Foxconn will install the autonomous driving systems, and Uber will deploy them on its ride-sharing platform. Stellantis claims its vehicle platforms are “AV-ready,” including its K0 Medium Size Van and STLA Small. These vehicles are designed for “maximum flexibility” and can be built to accommodate multiple passengers.

The autonomous driving technology will be powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Hyperion 10 architecture, which includes the chipmaker’s DriveOS software. Exactly what Foxconn brings to the table is unclear; the press release only states that the Taiwanese technology company “will collaborate with Stellantis on hardware and systems integration.” Foxconn, which makes the iPhone for Apple, has announced ambitious plans to sell vehicles globally, but has a bad habit of partnering with automakers that end up going bankrupt.

Stellantis says “production start” of these new vehicles is planned for 2028. Uber will deploy robotaxis in several markets globally, starting first in the United States with 5,000 vehicles. No further details were provided on specific cities or timelines.

These ads tend to tout the “collaborative” aspects of the deal, but they are often simple agreements with suppliers presented as partnerships. Nvidia also supplies its technology to a number of different companies, including General Motors and Lucid. Uber has said it wants to integrate many different robotaxis brands onto its platform, including Waymo and Volkswagen. Stellantis is working on partial level 3 autonomy for several of its brands, including Jeep. And it has a robotaxi deal with Pony.ai.