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Tensor Robocars, the first deliveries of which are planned in late 2026, have more than 100 sensors, including cameras, lidars and radars. (Tensor Auto via X)

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Lyft Inc. is partnering with autonomous vehicle developer Tensor Auto to deploy a fleet of hundreds of robotaxis in Europe and North America starting in 2027.

The ride-hailing company will additionally make its platform available on all Tensor vehicles, called Robocars, according to an Oct. 9 joint statement by the companies.

Lyft is racing to catch up with its larger rival Uber Technologies, which has more than a dozen partner agreements globally with autonomous car developers, in the next frontier for ride-hailing services. Last month, Lyft and May Mobility began offering autonomous rides assisted by safety drivers in Atlanta, and more partnerships are expected next year, including in Nashville, Tenn., with Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo.

Uber offers driverless rides to users with Waymo in Phoenix, Atlanta and Austin, Texas, as well as with WeRide Inc. in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Tensor Robocars, the first deliveries of which are planned in late 2026, have more than 100 sensors including cameras, lidars and radars; they process sensor data with artificial intelligence technology powered by Nvidia Corp. chips on board.

Today, we’re announcing a planned strategic partnership with Tensor that will revolutionize how consumers access and monetize autonomous driving technology.

Through this collab, Tensor's Robocar (powered by technology) will become the first personally-owned AV to become… — Lyft (@lyft)

The vehicles will come from the manufacturer with Lyft’s platform installed, which will allow owners to make money on the rideshare network in markets where Level 4 autonomous technology is available, according to the joint statement. Lyft has reserved hundreds of Robocars via its affiliates for its own fleet operations, subject to regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the companies didn’t identify which metropolitan areas they’d target initially.

The deal stands out among Lyft’s other partnerships as the first where Lyft has committed to purchasing and operating its own car fleet. Previous agreements were to facilitate rides on its app or provide fleet management services.

Lyft’s move to own cars underscores how business models are changing as autonomous vehicles become more mainstream. Uber has a similar deal with electric vehicle maker Lucid Group, where Uber and its third-party partners have committed to purchase and deploy at least 20,000 Lucid and Nuro Inc. robotaxis starting next year.

San Jose, Calif.-based Tensor was born out of Chinese company AutoX, which introduced robotaxis in China in 2019. It began testing on public roads in California in 2017 and got a driverless permit for passenger vehicles there in 2020. It has yet to secure a permit from the state’s Public Utilities Commission that would allow its cars to be deployed to the public without a safety driver. To date, only Waymo has been granted one.

The AutoX China operations were fully divested so that the company could focus on the Tensor brand, Tensor said in a statement in August. It will ramp up car production in Vietnam in partnership with the country’s largest carmaker, VinFast Auto.

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