Pony.ai said its robotaxis can navigate complex urban environments, including tunnels, dense traffic, and irregular intersections. | Source: Pony.ai
Pony.ai Inc. yesterday announced a strategic partnership with Shenzhen Xihu Corp., the largest taxi operator in Shenzhen, China. The companies will jointly deploy a fleet of more than 1,000 Pony.ai’s seventh-generation robotaxis in Shenzhen in the coming years.
The partners said they hope to accelerate large-scale robotaxi deployments by using an “asset-light and AI-empowered model.” This model integrates autonomous driving with local mobility networks, bringing robotaxis to a broader passenger base.
Founded in 2016, Pony.ai said its vehicle-agnostic Virtual Driver technology stack integrates proprietary software, hardware, and services. The company has headquarters in Guangzhou, China, and Fremont, Calif.
Xihu integrates fleet expertise with robotaxis
Established in 1979, Xihu Group focuses on transportation, integrating industry, trade, tourism, real estate, education, environmental protection, and industrial parks. It has decades of experience in taxi fleet operation, local regulatory compliance, and services and maintenance networks. The company currently has nearly 5,000 electric taxis.
Xihu Group plans to integrate its expertise with Pony.ai’s proprietary hardware and software, AI-powered order-dispatch capability, and understanding of user needs. The partners said they will work together to deliver a seamless mobility experience.
In particular, Xihu will handle the fleet and asset operations, safety, and service guarantees. Meanwhile, Pony.ai will focus on technology innovations and scalable robotaxi dispatch and service. Going forward, Pony.ai plans to continue collaborating with more transportation service providers, automakers, and third parties to promote the mass deployment of autonomous mobility.
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Pony.ai describes 7th-gen platform
In April, Pony.ai released its seventh-generation autonomous driving system. The company said it plans to mass-produce its systems by the middle of this year. It features an automotive-grade autonomous driving kit (ADK) with an extended product lifecycle, delivering enhanced stability and safety for passengers, said Pony.ai.
The company said continuous design optimizations have also reduced the total bill-of-materials (BOM) costs by 70%. This also came with an 80% decrease in autonomous driving computation (ADC) and a 68% cut in solid-state lidar, in each case compared with its predecessor.
In addition, Pony.ai claimed that its modular platform architecture allows adaptation across multiple vehicle models, ranging from its three robotaxi models to robotruck services down the road. The company is also using simulation to train its systems.
Last month, Pony.ai partnered with Uber Technologies Inc. to deploy the company’s robotaxis on the Uber platform. The duo plans to launch the service in the Middle East later this year, with plans to scale to international markets in the future. During the initial pilot phase, these vehicles will have a safety operator onboard until the companies’ fully autonomous commercial launch.
The company also has plans to expand to Europe. In April, it announced its European division and obtained a scientific testing permit for Level 4 autonomous driving from Luxembourg’s Ministry of Mobility and Public Works.
WeRide is another prominent Chinese AV developer that has worked with Uber this year. Uber said in a regulatory filing that it will invest an additional $100 million into WeRide, and it will bring WeRide’s technology to 15 more cities over the next five years.
This expansion follows WeRide’s AV launch in Abu Dhabi. The company plans to launch a service in Dubai soon, with new cities in Europe to follow. WeRide said it plans to launch services in several new cities each year, all outside of the U.S. and China.