Uber has revealed that it would be expanding its partnership with China’’s Pony AI (Pony.ai) to introduce more than 2,000 robotaxis in Europe.
The comes as more companies focus on large-scale commercialisation of autonomous driving services.
The expanded partnership will add to existing plans to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb in Croatia. Users will be able to book these rides through Uber’s platform, with plans to grow the service to four more European cities down the line.
The partnership model will blend three key elements needed to provide robotaxi services at scale: a mobility platform, fleet management capacity and autonomous driving technology.
Both companies also intend to explore opportunities in the Middle East, however, exact details for these have not been shared yet.
This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony.ai and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities,” Dr. James Peng, founder and CEO of Pony.ai, said in a press release.
"By combining Pony.ai’s proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber’s global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond," he continued.
Pony AI, a global autonomous vehicle company building robotaxis, self-driving systems and self-driving trucks, already operates paid, fully driverless robotaxi services in key Chinese hubs like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
The company will be bringing its Level 4 autonomous driving technology to the table, along with valuable operational experience from large-scale robotaxi projects.
On the other hand, Uber will provide its global mobility platform, which includes payment, booking and customer service functions.
Local support from fleet operators will also be used for day-to-day operations in individual markets.
“The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale,” Sarfraz Maredia, global head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber, said.
“Together with Pony.ai, we’re combining advanced autonomous technology with Uber’s hybrid platform, on-the-ground experience, and operational excellence, to build a model that can quickly and reliably expand across cities," he continued.
The rise of autonomous vehicles
Several companies around the world, including European ones like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen have been exploring autonomous driving technologies and solutions in the last few years.
This is due to massive projected market growth, as well as the potential to solve key bottlenecks like driver deficits.
Autonomous vehicles also complement electric vehicle architectures very well, so they are often seen as the next natural step. They could help in boosting urban efficiency in many areas as well.
However, safety concerns, and a lack of adequate technology has been holding several companies back, especially in Europe.
On the other hand, China has emerged as a clear leader in autonomous driving technology, due to massive state support and it being treated like a national and strategic priority.
