Uber's CEO: Tesla will need us for robotaxis

• Tesla is trying to use its full self-driving technology to run fleets of taxis.
• But Uber's CEO said that Tesla will need tools that his rideshare company already has.

Tesla wants its self-driving technology to power robotaxis. But Uber's CEO says his company could play a key role to have it make financial sense.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi praised Tesla and CEO Elon Musk in a Wednesday interview with CNBC after Uber reported first-quarter results.

"I would never underestimate Elon Musk and Tesla. We're big fans of his," he told CNBC. "They're clearly the leaders in EVs, and we have a lot of Teslas in our marketplace."

But Tesla will need more than just self-driving cars to make robotaxis a reality, Khosrowshahi told CNBC.

Uber already offers some of the needed tools, including scheduling, pricing, and identity verification technology, which any manufacturer of autonomous vehicles (AVs) would use to start offering rides, he said.

"As a result, we think we're in a great position to work with any and all AV manufacturers as the technology develops safely, including Tesla," he said, referring to autonomous vehicles.

"We can drive enormous demand to this promising technology," Khosrowshahi added.

Musk reportedly discussed rolling out Tesla's full self-driving, or FSD, technology with officials in China during a visit to the country last month. During the meetings, the officials also expressed interest in potentially using FSD in China's taxi cabs.

In the US, Tesla is still testing FSD. The technology has reportedly struggled to navigate some parts of San Francisco, like making left turns at busy intersections.