Uber and Momenta to test autonomous vehicles in Germany in 2026 | Techcrunch

Ride-Hailing Gigantic Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle Startup Momenta Plan to start testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany from 2026-the first Continental European City Both City has publicly announced plans to extend to other markets.

The partnership was first unveiled in May 2025, when Uber said that momenta-driven vehicles were launching on his platform in Europe in 2026, initially with human security operators on board to check the vehicles and take control if necessary.

Momenta, founded in 2016, is one of the first autonomous vehicle (AV) in China. The Startup -based Startup has tested self -driving cars in China Since 2018 And is considered an important player in the competitive AV market of the country.

Uber’s relocation brings it in direct competition with other Ride-Hailing companies that are expanding to the AV market in Europe. In August, for example, Lyft announced a deal with the Chinese Baidu to start Robotaxis throughout Europe from next year, starting with Germany and the UK.

Momenta is one of them 20 Global of Partners That Uber has brought on board about his journey, delivery and cargo companies. Uber says that those partnerships have already generated an annual percentage of 1.5 million mobility and delivery trips.

In the US, Uber Waymo’s Robotaxis offers on its app in Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Internationally Uber works together with Momenta and other Chinese AV startups, such as Weride and Pony.Ai, to roll out robotaxis on the Uber platform in the middle -east. Uber and Weride currently offer AV trips in Abu Dhabi and Riyad, with plans to expand to Dubai. Uber and Wayve, based in the UK, have also recently announced plans to launch public road tests from Level 4 AVS in London.

(Level 4 Autonomy means that the vehicle can work without human intervention under certain circumstances.)

Uber said in a statement that Munich chose his European launch platform because of the technical heritage of the city and the strong ecosystem of the car.

“Germany has formed the global car industry for more than a century, and now Munich will help shape the future with autonomous vehicles,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, in a statement.

Techcrunch has reached Uber and Momenta to learn if they have already started the certification process in Germany. Momenta will have to prove to the German regulators that his vehicles meet certain safety standards and his designed operational areas (‘geo-hiches’ authorities approved by the authorities’).

The launch could be the first robotaxi implementation of Momenta in Europe. The company held a service in Shanghai at the end of this year with plans for a commercial rollout with security operators on board. Because it works to develop its level 4 possibilities, Momenta has also worked on the implementation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) with partner car makers, including German brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. The ADAs from Momenta have already been installed on 400,000 vehicles that are sold to customers today, according to the company.