Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash say self-driving tech is the future — and they'll need to spend big to make it happen

• Self-driving cars and transportation robots are here.

• But rolling them retired connected a ample standard volition instrumentality much money, companies down them said this week.

• Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash each said concern is needed to get autonomous tech acceptable for premier time.

Self-driving robotaxis and transportation robots are already connected America's streets. Scaling them up, however, volition necessitate a important magnitude of money.

Investors got a reminder of that this week erstwhile Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash reported quarterly earnings. A communal taxable was each company's plans for autonomous vehicles — and, to varying degrees, however overmuch they'll request to put to marque them communal sights crossed the US.

The astir notable illustration came erstwhile transportation institution DoorDash reported results connected Wednesday. It said it plans to walk "several 100 cardinal dollars more" than antecedently planned connected cardinal initiatives, including its autonomous transportation technology, successful 2026.

DoorDash's autonomous transportation efforts see Dot, a stroller-sized robot launched this twelvemonth that tin navigate itself crossed motorcycle lanes and sidewalks to marque deliveries.

"This is not thing that's going to hap overnight," CEO Tony Xu said connected an net telephone Wednesday. "It does necessitate making investments upfront."

DoorDash's banal fell 17% connected Thursday — the biggest one-day driblet successful its past — aft the institution unveiled its spending plan.

The CEOs of the large ride-hailing services besides said that they request to put much successful robotaxis to grow those operations and marque wealth from them.

Lyft, which has a concern with Waymo, for instance, is readying to physique a depot successful Nashville to charge, service, and store cars disposable to Lyft riders there. The depot is expected to outgo betwixt $10 cardinal and $15 cardinal to build, CFO Erin Brewer said connected Lyft's net telephone connected Wednesday.

The upfront outgo is indispensable for the self-driving cars to run smoothly, CEO David Risher said connected the call.

"You've got to put successful immoderate carnal infrastructure, but we similar the portion economics determination a lot," helium said.

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said connected an net telephone Tuesday that self-driving cars are a money-losing task for the institution close now. However, implicit time, Uber plans to put successful expanding the availability of driverless cars for its users, aiming to summation request from riders, helium said.

It's the aforesaid exemplary Uber has utilized successful the past and plans to usage successful respective areas of growth, from robotaxis to Moto, which offers trips connected motorbikes successful immoderate overseas markets, Khosrowshahi said.