Volkswagen of America and Uber on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to launch a commercial robotaxi service — using autonomous electric VW ID. BUZZ

Uber is expanding its robotaxi ambitions with the help of Volkswagen. The two companies are teaming up to offer autonomous rides in ID. Buzz vehicles. They plan to deploy thousands of the vehicles in multiple US markets over the next decade.

Volkswagen will supply thousands of electric vans in a collaboration agreement with Uber Technologies as the partners seek to offer rides in fully autonomous vehicles in the United States over the next decade,

Volkswagen isn’t typically mentioned in conversations about robotaxis, but the German auto giant has been quietly working on its own self-driving technology for over a decade. And now the company is ready to deploy its first autonomous vehicles on Uber’s ridehailing platform, starting with a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles in 2026.

The ride-hailing application is getting some help from VW to compete against the Google-backed service in this arena.

Volkswagen and Uber are teaming up to deploy a fleet of thousands of all-electric, fully autonomous robotaxis. The companies said in a press release Thursday that the ID. Buzz AD minivans will launch in "multiple" US markets over the next decade, starting in Los Angeles next year. Testing is expected to begin later this year, the companies said.