Uber to launch self-driving taxis in Germany in 2026
Uber will introduce self-driving taxis in Germany next year. It’s doing so in collaboration with Momenta, one of its autonomous driving technology partners. Testing will begin next year and will involve Level 4 self-driving cars.
Self-driving Ubers in Germany
This is good news for Europe, because so far, the firsts in self-driving taxis have mainly been achieved in the United States and China. Germany, therefore, appears to be the leading country, which is partly positive because it’s so large and home to many car companies, but also striking because Germany isn’t the most innovative country: you can’t yet pay by card in many places, and Germans have also battled Google Street View for a long time. So, they’re not embracing technology so readily: I wonder what that will be like with a Level 4 taxi from Uber. Level 4 is one of six levels for autonomous cars.
There are levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, divided as follows:
- Level 0 – No automation
- Level 1 – The car can take over a task, such as lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control
- Level 2 – The car can take over multiple tasks, such as Tesla Autopilot and Mercedes Drive Pilot
- Level 3—The car can drive itself in certain circumstances—such as on the highway—without the driver actively paying attention, but the driver must be able to intervene. Audi and Mercedes are currently testing this.
- Level 4 – The car can drive independently in defined areas without driver intervention, like Waymo’s self-driving taxis in San Francisco.
- Level 5—Full automation, where the car can drive completely independently anytime, anywhere, and without steering wheels or pedals. This is not yet commercially available.
Moments
The test will take place in Munich, Germany, in 2026. Uber plans to expand to more European cities afterward, so this doesn’t mean Uber wants to take over all of Germany first: the intention is to serve various towns in our continent. And yes, to “claim” a bit as well. Uber is collaborating with Momenta, a Shanghai-based company. It has its own robotaxi service, but it’s not exactly a household name. So, it’s smart to tie up with Uber, a widely supported concept here.
Like Tesla’s robotaxis, which is currently being tested in Austin, Uber /Momenta robotaxi will initially have safety personnel in the car to intervene if necessary. Incidentally, Uber isn’t the only one working on such plans in Europe or Germany: Baidu and Lyft want to launch taxis in Germany and the United Kingdom. Volkswagen has also been testing self-driving taxis in Germany for years.