The European Robotaxi is entering an era of "thousands of vehicles," with Pony.ai (02026) and Uber planning to deploy over 2,000 vehicles.

On August 14, autonomous driving company Pony.ai (PONY.US, 02026) announced an expanded strategic cooperation with global mobility platform Uber, which will deploy over 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis in five cities across Europe. This is one of the largest Robotaxi deployment plans in Europe. The collaboration will build upon the existing commercial Robotaxi operations in Zagreb, Croatia, and expand to include five cities in Europe, with specific implementation plans for each city to be released in phases later. Both parties also announced that the Zagreb service will soon be integrated into the Uber platform, allowing users to call Pony.ai Robotaxis through the Uber app. In addition to Europe, the two sides will also deepen their cooperation in the Middle East and expand their global operational footprint. Pony.ai founder and CEO Peng Jun stated: The expansion of this cooperation marks an important phase in our partnership with Uber and reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe and reliable Robotaxi services to more cities in Europe. With Pony.ai's mature autonomous driving technology and operational experience, combined with Uber's global mobility platform and extensive market coverage, we aim to construct a sustainable scaled commercial operation in Europe and worldwide. Sarfraz Maredia, Head of Uber's Global Autonomous Mobility and Delivery Business, remarked: The next chapter of autonomous mobility is shifting from localized implementations to scalable commercial operations. By partnering with Pony.ai, we combine advanced autonomous driving technology with Ubers hybrid capacity network, localized expertise, and operational capabilities to create a cooperative model that can rapidly and reliably expand across different cities. Driving a fleet co-construction model, Europe is poised for a scaling inflection point. The deployment plan of 2,000 vehicles across five cities marks a new stage in the development of autonomous driving in Europe, reaching a fleet size in the thousand-vehicle range, which is a critical watershed for the commercialization of Robotaxis. Practices in various markets in China and the U.S. have proven that only by achieving this scale can effective regional coverage and capacity scheduling be realized, thereby allowing the single-vehicle economic model to operate successfully. This also represents a milestone breakthrough for Pony.ai's fleet co-construction cooperation model overseas. This model introduces mobility service and fleet operation partners to globally deliver vehicles and business capabilities through a win-win approach, advancing the company's global growth strategy. The fleet co-construction model integrates the three core capabilities required for the large-scale operation of Robotaxis: autonomous driving technology, user reach via mobility platforms, and daily fleet operations. Within this framework, technology providers, platform operators, and operating parties can collaborate efficiently while taking on multiple roles based on market conditions, allowing greater flexibility in vehicle investment and asset ownership. In this cooperation, Pony.ai provides L4-level virtual drivers, validated user experience, and operational expertise, while Uber offers global user reach through its mobility platform, as well as ride-hailing, payment, customer service, and hybrid capacity networks. Daily fleet management will be handled by locally selected partners. In May of this year, Pony.ai, Uber, and local Croatian company Verne launched Europes first commercial Robotaxi service in Zagreb, validating the feasibility of this model in the European market. Leading in products and business capabilities, China's AI expands globally. The basis for Pony.ai's rapid global expansion lies in its leading advantages in technological capabilities, cost control, safety records, and user experience. The seventh generation Robotaxi possesses vehicle-grade mass production and large-scale deployment capabilities, achieving profitability per vehicle in domestic markets such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, thereby validating the sustainability of the Robotaxi business model and establishing itself as a benchmark model in Pony.ais global growth strategy. With outstanding product strength and business capabilities, Pony.ai continues to win large-scale overseas deployment orders from top global partners. As Robotaxis scale up in high-value markets in Europe, the fleet co-construction cooperation model is set to release considerable commercial returns, providing Pony.ai with continuous revenue streams from technology licensing and passenger fare sharing. Peng Jun previously stated at the APEC High-Level Forum on Artificial Intelligence that Pony.ai's vehicle costs are about 1/4 to 1/5 of Waymo's, a competitive edge stemming from the companys comprehensive capabilities in technology research and development, supply chain, and engineering. He believes that if Chinese AI companies collaborate deeply with local partners, their technologies and products can benefit more countries. Europe, with its densely populated cities, high transportation costs, and mature shared mobility market, represents a significant incremental market in the global landscape of autonomous driving commercialization. This collaboration focuses on the European market, playing a key role in the implementation of Pony.ai's "China + Overseas" dual-engine strategy. Currently, Pony.ai has obtained autonomous driving testing or operation licenses in regions such as the Middle East, Singapore, South Korea, Luxembourg, and Croatia, and has set clear expansion goals to exceed 20 cities globally and reach a fleet size of over 3,500 vehicles by 2026.