LCID-UBER Partnership Accelerates After Nuro Lands Key California Permit for Gravity Robotaxis

• Nuro said on Friday that it has secured a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Drivered Pilot Permit.
• The startup also has a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Driverless Testing Permit.
• Nuro is looking to deploy its autonomous vehicle service first in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Shares of Lucid Group (LCID) jumped 4% on Friday, after three consecutive days of closing in the red, after the firm’s partner and Silicon Valley-based startup Nuro said that it has obtained a key permit ahead of deploying robotaxis in the state.

Uber Technologies, Lucid Group, and Nuro announced a strategic partnership in July 2025 to launch a premium global robotaxi program exclusively on the Uber ride-hailing platform.

The agreement was significantly expanded in April 2026, with Uber now committing to deploy at least 35,000 Lucid vehicles—including Gravity electric SUVs and models from the EV maker’s upcoming midsize platform—equipped with Nuro’s “Nuro Driver” autonomy system over six years across dozens of markets worldwide. These vehicles would be owned and operated by Uber or its third-party fleet partners. The collaboration aims to combine Lucid’s luxury vehicles with Nuro’s self-driving technology and Uber’s scale.

Nuro said on Friday that it has secured a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Drivered Pilot Permit, which allows it to conduct pilot testing of autonomous passenger service in California with a safety driver, while carrying passengers in test vehicles on public roads.

The startup also has a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Driverless Testing Permit that allows it to test autonomous vehicles without a safety driver. Neither of the permits, however, allows the company to offer paid rides to passengers or carry people without a driver. However, Nuro is one of only five companies with both the DMV Driverless Testing Permit and Drivered Pilot Permit in California.

Nuro is looking to deploy its autonomous vehicle service first in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Alphabet’s robotaxi unit Waymo already operates. The firm now operates a fleet of about 100 robotaxi engineering vehicles, all Lucid Gravity SUVs integrated with its own Nuro Driver technology, used for testing and validation.

How Did LCID And Uber Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around LCID and UBER stocks was both in ‘bullish’ territory, accompanied by ‘high’ and ‘extremely high’ message volumes, respectively.

A Stocktwits user said that they have “100% conviction” on the stock.

Another user considered a potential merger between Lucid and its rival EV startup Rivian Automotive.

While UBER stock has fallen by about 9% over the past 12 months, LCID stock has lost over 70%.   

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