Uber plans to invest $100 million on electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support its growing worldwide robotaxi business. The company says the efforts are intended to accelerate the company’s vision for an autonomous and electric future, according to Axios.

“Cities can only unlock the full promise of autonomy and electrification if the right charging infrastructure is built for scale. That infrastructure needs to work for today’s drivers and the fleets of the future,” Pradeep Parameswaran, global head of mobility at Uber, said in a statement.

Uber shared details of its two-pronged charging strategy, annuncing that it’s spending $100 million to develop new fast-charging hubs at AV depots in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas, where robotaxis are cleaned, maintained and inspected by Uber. Other cities will have charging-equipped depots as Uber expands autonomous operations.

As part of the investment, Uber also plans to open DC fast-charging “pit stops” for robotaxis at convenient locations throughout major cities. An Uber spokesperson couldn’t say whether humans or robots will handle the task of plugging in robotaxis at these pit stops, or whether they’ll be open to the public.

Uber is also guaranteeing minimum usage levels for charging networks like EVgo in exchange for a discount on charging for Uber drivers. The financial support helps shoulder the risk for companies to build new charging stations, which can cost around $100,000 each.

Uber says its aims to unlock more than $100 million in new charging infrastructure – about 1,000 new chargers globally – in places where drivers need it most. Uber already has such a deal with Revel in New York, where its drivers get a 25% discount at Revel stations. With EVgo, it is providing guaranteed usage levels at stations in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston.

(Picture: Lucio Nuro/Uber)