Uber spent $457 million last year on research and development of autonomous vehicles, flying cars (known as eVTOLs) and other “technology programs” and will continue to invest … More more on this story. Why should competitors in the space use Uber to find riders for their self driving car if they beat Uber to the market, and know Uber is building a competing self driving car? Uber is selling its self-driving car division to the autonomous vehicle startup Aurora, ending a five-year run of developing self-driving vehicles that was marred by litigation and a fatal crash. But its future may rest on eliminating drivers. Two engineers were passengers in the front cockpit of the driverless vehicle. Plus: Why automakers are poised for a great 2021, the startups that could deliver flying cars, and Elon Musk becomes the world's richest man. In the last few years, it seemed like every major tech company has been investing in driverless cars. Published: 28 Aug 2018 Toyota to invest $500m in Uber for self-driving car programme. Uber is a perfect example of a business that benefits from network effects, where the value of its service increases with more use. Most popular. Toyota to invest $500m in Uber for self-driving car programme. Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] this weekend suspended its testing of self-driving car technology after a non-fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona. Why pay a fleet of taxi drivers if the company can build cars … The financing establishes Uber’s self-driving cars unit as its own corporate entity, valued at $7.25 billion, the company said in a press release on April 18. The move doesn't mean Uber is abandoning self-driving cars. The self-driving unit, known as the Autonomous Technology Group, or A.T.G., will be restructured as part of the deal, allowing for a targeted investment rather than a broad investment in Uber… Google and Apple have done it, but Uber have decided to … Stowe Boyd, lead researcher at GigaOM Research, which specializes in emerging technology, thinks more and more people will follow Andersen’s lead once self-driving cars … A Bet on Uber Is a Bet on Self-Driving Uber is scheduled to go public Friday, at an initial valuation of $82 billion, the largest for an IPO since 2014. The crash, caused by another vehicle when the driver “failed to yield” to Uber’s Volvo while making a turn. Jeff Holden, Uber's chief product officer, said focusing on self-driving car technology serves as an investment in Uber's future.