Uber to invest over $100-million in autonomous vehicle charging hubs

Uber will invest more than US$100 million to build DC fast chargers at its autonomous depots and pit stops, starting in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas, and it has agreements with chargepoint operators to support wider rollouts.

Uber said it will invest more than US$100 million to develop charging hubs for autonomous vehicles. The plan focuses on building DC fast chargers at its autonomous depots and at pit stops in priority cities. Uber has made autonomous vehicles a strategic priority and has partnerships with more than 20 firms worldwide for self-driving freight, delivery and taxi services. The investment follows recent commitments to support vehicle partners and speed deployments. Key details: - Uber will fund development of autonomous vehicle charging hubs, including DC fast charging at depots and pit stops. - Initial U.S. rollout will begin in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas, with expansion to additional cities over time. - The company has set up "utilization guarantee agreements" with chargepoint operators, including EVgo (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston), Electra (Paris, Madrid), and Hubber and Ionity (London). - These agreements are expected to support the rollout of hundreds of new chargers across the listed cities and other priority locations. - Uber currently offers robotaxis on its platform in four U.S. cities and in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and partners with firms such as Waymo and WeRide for autonomous fleet operations. Summary: The investment is intended to expand charging infrastructure to support Uber's autonomous fleets and to accelerate deployments. Initial installations will start in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Dallas, and chargepoint partners are expected to help roll out hundreds of chargers in other cities. Timelines for broader global expansion were not specified.