Uber, along with its robotaxi partner Momenta, is set to trial fully autonomous cars in Germany next year. This announcement comes as Europe trails behind the United States and China in the availability of commercial robotaxi services.
The firms plan to begin testing Level 4 autonomous vehicles in Munich by 2026. Level 4 vehicles are fully autonomous machines capable of operating without safety drivers within a designated geographic area. Should the Munich trials be successful, Uber anticipates the deployment of Momenta robotaxis in other European cities in the future.
Momenta, headquartered in Shanghai, is already running its own robotaxi service there. Uber previously announced that it would integrate Momenta’s robotaxis into its ride-hailing platform, targeting cities outside the US and China. Initially, these robotaxis will have safety monitors overseeing the operation from the driver’s seat before they transition to entirely driverless operations.
Backed by investments from China’s state-owned SAIC Motor, GM, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Bosch, Momenta provides driver assistance software to several automakers, including Mercedes and BMW.
While Europe lags behind the US and China, the region is beginning to witness an increasing interest in robotaxi services, hinting at a potential surge in offerings. Besides Uber and Momenta, Baidu and Lyft plan to introduce driverless taxis to the UK and Germany by 2026. Moreover, Volkswagen has been testing autonomous vehicles in Germany for years and announced plans to launch its own robotaxi service in Los Angeles with Uber in 2026.
