Uber Technologies and Lucid Group team up to deploy 20,000 autonomous SUVs, marking a pivotal moment in AV tech. Click for more on UBER and LCID stock.

A major change is quietly taking place on the roads of America. Not with drivers but without them. Self-driving taxis, also called robotaxis, are finally here. And two giants are leading the charge: Waymo and Tesla.

Waymo more than doubled its robotaxi service area in Austin just days after Tesla showed off a phallic-shaped service area expansion in the city.

Uber already works with players like Waymo, Volkswagen, and Baidu in different markets. The Lucid partnership is set apart by Uber's significant financial investment, a sign that it sees meaningful strategic value.

“With recent growth in Austin and California, plus opening in Atlanta with Uber, Waymo now serves more than 700 sq mi across the US,” the company said. According to Waymo, it has driven over 100 million fully autonomous miles without a human behind the wheel.

If you want to boost your chances of being paired with a Waymo vehicle, you can opt in by going to the Uber app, tapping Account > Settings > Autonomous vehicles (under Ride Preferences), and then hitting the toggle next to Get more Waymo rides.

Ross Gerber is pushing back against a partnership between rideshare service Uber Technologies Inc. and automaker Lucid Group Inc.

Alphabet's Waymo is expanding its service in Austin, Texas, to 90 square miles from 37 square miles earlier, the software giant's self-driving unit said on Thursday, seeking to protect its top position in the city from rivals such as Tesla.