Uber’s boss has predicted that driverless cars are at least a decade away, despite the ride-hailing app putting millions into developing the technology.

Speaking at a technology conference in Germany, Dara Khosrowshahi said it would take 10 to 15 years for “full autonomy” to happen.

He said the high cost of sensors such as the “lidar” receivers used by driverless cars, as well as the need to map cities with centimetre-precision, meant completely self-driving vehicles would take longer than many are predicting.

Driverless cars are seen as a major opportunity for Uber and other ride-hailing apps, allowing commuters to order a ride from a roving fleet of autonomous vehicles instead of owning their own. Removing the cost of human drivers could also slash the price of such rides, vastly expanding the company’s share of all car journeys.

“The road from now, to full autonomous is going to take a significant part of work,” said Mr Khosrowshahi, who took over from Uber’s founder Travis Kalanick last year after a string of controversies.

“We map every city to three centimetres, [that takes] a huge amount of effort and data, and sensor tech has to come down very significantly. Full autonomy, I think we’re talking 10 to 15 years.”