Uber Revives Self-Driving Taxi Dreams, Plans to Start This Year

Uber Technologies Inc. inked a deal with Motional Inc. to offer driverless deliveries and rides, rekindling its vision of a self-driving taxi fleet nearly two years after it sold its autonomous vehicle division. The San Francisco-based company is partnering with Motional, which is an autonomous driving joint venture between Hyundai Motor Co. and Aptiv Plc. The 10-year deal will pair Motional's all-electric IONIQ 5 robotaxis with Uber's ride-hailing and delivery platform, the companies said in a statement Oct. 6. They did not disclose financial terms. "This agreement will be instrumental to the wide scale adoption of robotaxis," Motional Chief Executive Officer Karl Iagnemma said in a statement.