IRVINE, Calif. — Electric vehicle (EV) company Rivian has landed an investment of up to $1.25 billion from the ridesharing company Uber for the production of driverless robotaxis.

The deal was announced via a news release from Rivian last Thursday, which outlined the specifics of the seven-figure investment. 

Uber will purchase 10,000 of Rivian’s R2 vehicles, which are set to be released later this year. Those vehicles will be utilized as driverless robotaxis and are expected to be deployed to San Francisco and Miami in 2028. An expansion of up to 25 cities is planned for 2031.

A spokesperson for Rivian confirmed to The Covington News that the R2 vehicles for this deal will be manufactured at the Stanton Springs facility.

If this objective is achieved, Rivian says there is the opportunity for an even larger expansion.

“The companies also have the option to negotiate the purchase of up to 40,000 more autonomous Rivian R2 vehicles beginning in 2030,” the release stated.

According to the news release, an additional $300 million investment has been committed, subject to regulatory approval.

Last September, Rivian officially broke ground on the facility after years of anticipation. At the time of the groundbreaking, the EV company said that vertical construction would begin in 2026 and R2 vehicle production would begin in 2028.