On September 8th, Uber, the mobility service platform, and Momenta, an artificial intelligent driving technology company, jointly announced that Munich will be the first city to launch their collaborative Robotaxi service. The initiative is scheduled to begin operations in 2026. This partnership not only strengthens the strategic cooperation between the two companies but also lays a solid foundation for the broader deployment of Robotaxi services across Europe.
As a central hub of Germany’s automotive industry and a key part of Bavaria’s automotive ecosystem, Munich offers a world-class automotive environment and a welcoming attitude toward new mobility solutions. This provides a favorable industrial landscape for Momenta, which has already established strong and stable partnerships with German luxury automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Both Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah, CFO of Uber, and Cao Xudong, CEO of Momenta, expressed strong confidence in the collaboration. Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, stated, “For over a century, Germany has shaped the global auto industry—now Munich can help shape the future of autonomous vehicles.” Cao added, “Launching L4 autonomous driving in Munich offers us the opportunity to demonstrate how AI-powered Robotaxi technology can transform urban mobility, while also opening a new chapter in Munich’s rich automotive history.”
Momenta, a global leader in autonomous driving technology, has adhered to its “Flywheel + Two Legs” strategy since its inception. This approach uses a data-driven “flywheel” to closely integrate and rapidly iterate between L2 advanced driver-assistance systems and L4 autonomous Robotaxi development. Compared to other Robotaxi solutions, Momenta utilizes mass-produced vehicle models and adopts a unified software architecture and sensor suite for both L2 and L4, enabling faster scaling and a commercial closed-loop for Robotaxi services. To date, more than 400,000 vehicles equipped with Momenta’s intelligent driving systems have been produced.
In May of this year, Uber and Momenta announced a strategic partnership aimed at introducing autonomous vehicles to the Uber platform in international markets outside the U.S. and China. The launch of Robotaxi services in Munich marks a major milestone in this effort. Once operational, local residents will be able to book rides in Momenta’s Robotaxis via the Uber app, experiencing safe and reliable autonomous mobility.
In addition to its global expansion, Momenta is also advancing its Robotaxi initiatives in China. It has already launched services in Shanghai and plans to begin fully driverless trial operations by the end of this year. As the partnership continues to develop, Uber and Momenta are poised to drive the global adoption of autonomous ride-hailing services, bringing new develpoment to urban transportation.
