Partnering With Uber, Momenta to Test Autonomous Vehicles in Germany Next Year

According to foreign media reports, American ride-hailing giant Uber and Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta plan to begin testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany, starting in 2026. This is the first time the two companies have publicly announced their entry into the continental European market, with plans to expand to other markets in the future.

Image source: Momenta

The partnership between the two parties was first announced in May 2025. At that time, Uber stated that vehicles equipped with Momenta's autonomous driving technology would debut on the Uber platform in Europe in 2026, initially with safety operators on board to monitor the vehicles in real time and take control if necessary.

Momenta was founded in 2016 and is one of the earliest established autonomous driving technology companies in China, headquartered in Beijing. Since 2018, the company has been testing autonomous vehicles in China and is regarded as an important player in the highly competitive autonomous driving field in the country.

This move by Uber means that it will directly compete with other ride-hailing platforms in the European autonomous driving market. For example, in August this year, Lyft announced a partnership with Baidu to deploy autonomous taxis in Europe starting next year, with the first markets including Germany and the UK.

Momenta is one of the 20 global autonomous driving partners that Uber has introduced in its mobility, food delivery, and freight business areas. In the United States, Uber has integrated Waymo's autonomous taxis into its app in Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In international markets, Uber collaborates with Chinese autonomous driving companies such as Momenta, Pony.ai, and WeRide to launch Robotaxi services in the Middle East. Currently, Uber and WeRide provide autonomous mobility services in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with plans to expand to Dubai. Additionally, Uber and the UK startup Wayve recently announced that they will conduct Level 4 autonomous driving road tests in London.Uber said that these collaborations have resulted in 1.5 million rides and delivery services annually.

Uber stated in its announcement that the reason for choosing Munich as its European debut city in collaboration with Momenta is due to the city's engineering tradition and strong automotive industry ecosystem. "Germany has shaped the global automotive industry for more than a century, and now Munich will help drive the future development of the industry in the field of autonomous driving," said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

It is currently unclear whether Uber and Momenta have initiated the certification process in Germany. According to regulations, Momenta needs to demonstrate to German regulatory authorities that its vehicles meet relevant safety standards and obtain approval for specific operational areas, known as "geofenced areas."

This project is expected to become Momenta's first deployment of autonomous taxis in Europe. The company currently operates Robotaxi services in Shanghai and plans to launch a commercial operation with safety drivers by the end of this year. Meanwhile, Momenta is advancing the development of L4 autonomous driving and collaborating with automakers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi to promote advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). According to the company, its ADAS products have been installed in approximately 400,000 production vehicles.