Uber’s latest autonomous vehicle partner? Chinese startup Momenta

Uber announced Friday yet another autonomous vehicle partnership as it leverages its dominant ride-hail and delivery position while relying on partners to supply the self-driving tech it isn’t building in-house. Today, the lucky startup is Chinese self-driving firm Momenta.

The tie-up comes a day after Uber added Ann Arbor-based May Mobility to its roster of AV collaborators, which also includes Volkswagen, Waymo, Wayve, WeRide and many others.

Uber said it would add Momenta’s robotaxis to the app starting in Europe in early 2026, with safety operators onboard.

Momenta CEO Xudong Cao said the parternship “completes the key ecosystem needed to scale autonomous driving globally.”

The plethora of deals on Uber’s end — which span into trucking and delivery — come as the company may expect to face potential competition from Tesla, which plans to launch its first robotaxi service in Austin this summer. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised that all Tesla vehicles will one day — with a mere software update — turn into fully self-driving vehicles to be used for ride-hail.

Uber once had its own self-driving unit, but sold the division to Aurora Innovation in 2020.