Uber Eyes Tesla's Cybercab Robotaxi—Is Autonomous Ride-Sharing the Next Big Thing?

Tesla and Uber are in talks to potentially deploy the Cybercab Robotaxi—a self-driving, two-seat vehicle—on Uber's ride-sharing platform. Uber's CEO has expressed a strong desire to partner with Tesla, signaling a major shift toward autonomous ride-hailing services.

Tesla's Cybercab Could Revolutionize Uber's Ride-Hailing

In an interview, Tesla CEO Dara Khosrowshahi mentioned the possibility of a partnership between the two companies to offer Uber's ride-sharing platform, the new Cybercab Robotaxi.

Tesla Unveils Cybercab Robotaxi for Ride-Hailing Industry

Last week, Tesla introduced its Robotaxi platform, which includes the blueprints for the Cybercab, a self-driving car with two seats that will be utilized for the ride-hailing industry.

Despite Tesla's plans to launch its own ride-hailing platform and its demo of a potential app, the company maintains a solid working relationship with Uber. In an effort to streamline operations for its drivers, Tesla has lately outfitted some of its vehicles with Uber technology.

Uber CEO Discusses Future Collaboration with Tesla

In an interview with Financial Times, Khosrowshahi discussed Uber's partnership with Tesla in depth and expressed his desire to future collaborate with Tesla and the autonomous business.

Moreover, he said he would "love to have [the Cybercab Robotaxi] on the platform."

"Obviously, competing with Elon Musk is no easy matter, and we take nothing for granted; we really want to partner with the autonomous industry," Khosrowshahi replied, referring to the challenge of competing with Musk.

Tesla and Uber Eye Cybercab Integration

Regarding the inclusion of the Tesla Cybercab on the Uber platform: “We’d love to have it on the platform, but if not, I don’t think this is going to be a winner-take-all marketplace. We believe in the spirit of partnership; we’ll see what Tesla does.”

Entering the ride-sharing market is no picnic. Who can say that Tesla's well-established reputation and profitable business strategy would be enough to propel the company to the top of an entirely new industry?

Uber Offers Value to Potential Tesla Partnership

Khosrowshahi stated in August:

“It’s taken us 15 years. It’s taken us tens of billions of dollars of capital, and we can provide that instantly to a partner. Hopefully, Tesla will be one of those partners.”

If Teslarati is to be believed, the two could team up, and the electric car manufacturer could use an alliance with rideshare company Uber to launch its service. No matter what happens, the Robotaxi will be available on the Uber platform, and Tesla might leverage its autonomous technology to assist in the provision of driverless trips on ridesharing platforms worldwide.