(Reuters) -Uber and China-based self-driving tech firm Momenta announced plans on Monday to test level 4 autonomous vehicles in Germany next year, as the ride-hailing platform seeks to expand its robotaxi footprint amid rising competition.

Autonomous vehicles classified as level 4 can drive without human intervention in specific zones and under certain conditions.

Uber has been attempting to establish a strong foothold in the robotaxi industry through partnerships with companies including Alphabet's Waymo, Lucid and WeRide as Tesla also expands its nascent autonomous taxi services.

Self-driving technology has faced a long road to commercialization as safety regulators heavily scrutinize autonomous cars over accidents and crashes.

Momenta's driver assistance software is on the road in 400,000 vehicles through its automotive partnerships, the company said.

Uber and Momenta first announced their partnership in May to introduce autonomous vehicles in international markets outside the U.S. and China.