The partnership was first unveiled in May 2025, when Uber said Momenta-powered vehicles would launch on its platform in Europe in 2026, initially with human safety operators onboard to monitor the vehicles and take control if needed.

Momenta, founded in 2016, is one of China’s earliest autonomous vehicle (AV) companies. The Beijing-based startup has been testing self-driving cars in China since 2018 and is considered a major player in the country’s competitive AV market.

Uber’s move puts it in direct competition with other ride-hailing companies expanding into Europe’s AV market. For example, in August Lyft announced a deal with China’s Baidu to deploy robotaxis across Europe starting next year, beginning with Germany and the UK. 

Momenta is one of 20 global AV partners that Uber has brought on board across its ride-hailing, delivery, and freight businesses. Uber says those partnerships have already generated an annualized rate of 1.5 million mobility and delivery trips.

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

Internationally, Uber has partnered with Momenta and other Chinese AV startups, like WeRide and Pony.ai, to roll out robotaxis on the Uber platform in the Middle East. Uber and WeRide currently offer AV rides in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with plans to expand to Dubai. Uber and UK-based Wayve also recently announced plans to launch public road trials of Level 4 AVs in London. 

(Level 4 autonomy means the vehicle can operate without human intervention under certain conditions.)

Uber said in a statement that it chose Munich as its European launchpad due to the city’s engineering heritage and strong automotive ecosystem. 

“Germany has shaped the global automotive 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 out to Uber and Momenta to learn whether they have already begun the certification process in Germany yet. Momenta will need to prove to German regulators that its vehicles meet certain safety standards and have its designed operating areas (called “geo-fenced zones”) approved by the authorities. 

The launch could be Momenta’s first robotaxi deployment in Europe. The company has been operating a service in Shanghai with plans for a commercial rollout with onboard safety operators by the end of this year. As it works to develop its Level 4 capabilities, Momenta has also been working to deploy advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) with partner automakers, including German brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Momenta’s ADAS is already installed on 400,000 vehicles sold to customers today, according to the company.