- Nissan Motor Corporation, alongside ridesharing service Uber and autonomous driving specialists Wayve, have signed a joint memorandum of understanding to collaborate on robotaxis, with a view to eventually deploying real-world robotaxi services.
- Under the agreement, the trio estimate that a pilot deployment of the service will take place in Tokyo by late 2026.
- The new third-generation Nissan Leaf EV will be used as a base for this robotaxi platform.
Nissan embeds itself deeper in autonomy
Nissan’s new Leaf will form the basis of the new Robotaxi partnership, with the vehicle powered through the Wayve AI Driver software and riders being able to access the service through the Uber app. Whilst Tokyo will be the first location to see these robotaxis in an initial pilot deployment, the trio of firms plan to bring the service to more than ten cities across the world – including London, which is already seeing a significant rise in autonomous vehicle activity.
In this initial Toyko phase, the vehicles will still include a ‘safety operator’, ready to take over the controls if required. However, full driverless capabilities is obviously in the timeline, as we’ve already seen with Waymo’s driverless rollout in cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.
This partnership enters a new increasingly competitive robotaxi market, with solutions such as Waymo already on the market in select locations. Earlier this year, luxury EV brand Lucid also announced a partnership with Uber and autonomous tech firm Nuro, which will see autonomous Lucid taxis operating on the Uber platform in the near future. Another key rival to watch is Tesla’s fully in-house Robotaxi service.
Alex Kendall, Cofounder and CEO of Wayve, commented:
“Tokyo represents an important step forward in bringing embodied intelligence to one of the world’s most sophisticated mobility markets. We have been testing our technology throughout Japan since early 2025, building extensive experience in the country’s unique road environments. Partnering with Uber and Nissan to begin pilot deployment of Robotaxi allows us to introduce this technology in a responsible way, while continuing to learn and expand.”
Ivan Espinosa, President and CEO of Nissan, added:
“Nissan is proud to collaborate in this next chapter of mobility innovation. Our work with Wayve to integrate advanced AI technology across our consumer vehicle portfolio has laid strong foundations, and we are excited to take this partnership further with a pilot deployment of Robotaxi in Tokyo, bringing together Wayve’s AI technology, Uber’s network, and Nissan vehicles. Nissan’s vision is to bring mobility intelligence to everyday life, and we believe this initiative reflects how we translate that ambition into real‑world applications.”
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said:
“Autonomous mobility is becoming an increasingly important part of the Uber platform. We are excited to expand our collaboration with Wayve and to work with Nissan to bring robotaxi services to Tokyo. Following our planned pilot deployment in London, we look forward to expanding into Tokyo and introducing new, modern ways to travel in some of the world’s largest cities. It also reflects our long-term commitment to Japan, a critical market where innovation can help address driver shortages and support the future of urban transportation. Our goal is to give riders more ways to move with seamless access through the Uber app.”
