Uber just launched the UK’s first autonomous rides in London

This is a news item about ride-hailing, not home energy upgrades, so it has no real bearing on your house or any rebate program. Still, here is what happened.

Uber and British startup Wayve have launched what they call the UK's first autonomous ride-hailing service, in London. Riders who book an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort may now be matched with a Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle running Wayve's self-driving software. It costs nothing extra, and riders can switch to a regular car before pickup if they prefer. The service covers trips around London but not to airports. A licensed, trained driver still sits behind the wheel and can take over at any time, so this isn't a fully driverless robotaxi yet. Uber says more than 140,000 Londoners have already opted in through the app.

The launch is part of a wider deal that will bring Wayve's technology to Uber vehicles in a dozen markets worldwide, including Nissan Leafs starting in Tokyo later this year. Britain is separately preparing rules that would eventually allow fully driverless commercial rides without a safety driver, but that broader framework isn't expected to be fully in place until the second half of 2027. For now, London's service falls under a different, less strict category because a human driver remains ready to intervene.