Lucid (LCID) Stock Jumps 4% as Uber Robotaxi Program Heads to Houston

TLDR

• Uber, Lucid, and Nuro have chosen Houston as the second market for their robotaxi program, following a planned launch in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year.
• The Houston service is targeted for mid-2027, with ambitions to scale to dozens of cities globally with a minimum of 35,000 vehicles.
• Lucid stock (LCID) is up around 4% on the news, though the stock is still down roughly 60% over the past year.
• Uber has secured a 50,000 sq ft depot in Houston with 40 fast chargers and 15 maintenance bays, with groundbreaking planned for early 2027.
• Nuro already has autonomous vehicles running 24/7 on Houston roads, with nearly 100 vehicles active across California and Texas.

Uber (UBER) and Lucid (LCID) are taking their robotaxi partnership to Texas. The two companies, along with self-driving startup Nuro, announced Wednesday that Houston will be the second planned market for their autonomous ride-hailing program.

Lucid stock jumped around 4% on the news. The stock has been under pressure, down roughly 60% over the past year, so any forward momentum matters.

Lucid Group, Inc., LCID

The first market remains the San Francisco Bay Area, where a commercial launch is still planned for later this year. Houston is expected to go live in mid-2027.

The original partnership was struck in July 2025. Under the deal, Uber committed to deploying 35,000 or more Lucid vehicles — the Gravity SUV plus a future midsize model — over six years, all running Nuro’s autonomous driving technology.

Nuro is not sitting still in the meantime. The company is already running autonomous on-road tests with safety operators in Houston, part of a multi-step validation process that includes simulation, closed-course testing, and supervised public-road driving.

The engineering fleet currently spans nearly 100 vehicles operating 24 hours a day across California and Texas. That number will grow as Lucid begins building production validation robotaxis at its Arizona factory.

Houston’s Infrastructure Is Already Taking Shape

Uber has secured a 50,000 square-foot facility in Houston to serve as the program’s operational depot. The site will handle charging, maintenance, repairs, and cleaning for the Lucid Gravity fleet.

The depot will draw more than 4 megawatts of power and house 40 fast chargers and 15 maintenance bays. Groundbreaking is set for early 2027.

Houston was picked partly because of its size and trip diversity, but also because Nuro already has roots there. The company previously ran Level 4 autonomous operations in the city and has established relationships with local first responders and policymakers.

The Lucid Gravity robotaxi uses a next-generation sensor array — high-resolution cameras, solid-state lidar, and radar — for 360-degree perception. A purpose-built roof halo maximizes sensor visibility. Production is expected to start at Lucid’s Arizona plant later this year, pending final validation.

Regulatory Green Lights Are in Place

On the regulatory front, Nuro secured a California Public Utilities Commission pilot permit in early May and a California DMV driverless testing permit in April. Uber, Nuro, and Lucid employees have been taking test rides on the platform since April.

The broader program sits under Uber Autonomous Solutions, the fleet-management unit Uber unveiled in February, which brings infrastructure and logistics in-house.

The $750 million fundraise Lucid announced recently — $550 million from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and $200 million from an Uber subsidiary — helped fund the push. Both companies are backed by PIF, tying their autonomous ambitions tightly together.

Nuro’s investor base includes SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Fidelity. The company also has delivery partnerships with Walmart, Kroger, Domino’s, and CVS.

The post Lucid (LCID) Stock Jumps 4% as Uber Robotaxi Program Heads to Houston appeared first on CoinCentral.