Uber is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into Lucid and autonomous vehicle technology startup Nuro in a bid to launch its own robotaxi service.

That makes Uber a logical partner for autonomous vehicle (AV) companies. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sees robotaxis as at $1 trillion opportunity in the U.S. alone, and he recently told analysts, "Uber can deliver the lowest operational costs for our AV partners because we are leaps and bounds ahead on every aspect of the go-to-market capabilities."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have the sense of humor of South Park 's Terrance and Phillip, but one has to acknowledge his consistency. After expanding the Robotaxi service area in Austin to an area that looks like a giant penis, Tesla also increased the ride fare.

With the ability to cover up to 450 miles on a single charge, the Gravity SUV is expected to function well as a robotaxi, since it will need less downtime for recharging. This way, vehicles will be available for riders more often. Tesla ’s own Model Y is being used as the brand’s robotaxi, but that has nowhere near the range of the Lucid Gravity.

Tesla’s (TSLA) has been steering the robotaxi narrative for the longest time, but recently a brand new player quietly slid into the frame. Behind the scenes, one luxury EV maker just threw its hat into the race and is ready to challenge the status quo.

Shortly after Tesla increased the geofence for its Robotaxis in Austin to a larger, penis-shaped area, Alphabet's Waymo followed up with an area increase of its own.

Riders can hail a Waymo across 90 square miles of Austin, including neighborhoods like Crestview, Windsor Park and Franklin Park and locations like The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park.

Ross Gerber is pushing back against a partnership between rideshare service Uber Technologies Inc. and automaker Lucid Group Inc.