Autonomous technology startup Avride to ramp up testing as part of Uber robotaxi rollout

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Avride said on Thursday it is scaling up the testing of its vehicles in Dallas, as the autonomous technology startup prepares to launch robotaxis on Uber UBER.N.

Autonomous technology companies have been entering into partnerships with ride-hailing and delivery startups to commercialize robotic food deliveries.

Avride had announced a broader partnership with Uber in October last year and its delivery robots were launched on the Uber Eats platform in Austin in November which were later expanded to Dallas and Jersey City.

By the end of the year, Avride's autonomous vehicles will join the Uber platform as robotaxis, bringing both the startup's products to the same platform.

"Soon, Uber riders will have a new way to move around the city, marking another step toward making autonomous transportation part of everyday life," said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's head of autonomous mobility & delivery.

The robotaxi fleet in Dallas will leverage Hyundai Motor's 005380.KS cutting-edge IONIQ 5 EV platform, integrated with Avride's autonomous driving technology.

Avride partnered with Hyundai to expand its fleet of robotaxis in March this year, and signed a deal with the South Korean automaker to jointly develop and operate self-driving vehicles.

The startup has also collaborated with food delivery company Grubhub to deploy its robots on college campuses across the United States.