Uber and China's Pony.ai to deploy 2,000+ robotaxis across Europe
What's the story
Uber has announced a major expansion of its robotaxi operations in partnership with Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai. The two companies will deploy over 2,000 self-driving taxis across Europe. The announcement comes after Uber and Pony.ai launched a commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia's capital, earlier this year.
Growth strategy
Expansion to 4 other European cities
The partnership between Uber and Pony.ai will now expand to four other unnamed European cities.
The companies haven't revealed a specific timeline for this expansion.
The move is part of Uber's strategy to have a large-enough vehicle fleet for commercialization, which would allow them to collect more data, prove safety to regulators, and increase operational efficiency.
International reach
Uber is also working with Baidu and WeRide in Europe
Uber's robotaxi operations are not limited to Europe. The company is also working with Chinese firms Baidu Apollo Go and WeRide to bring autonomous rides to Europe.
In June, Uber and WeRide announced plans for Spain's first robotaxi pilot in Madrid later this year. The two companies are also collaborating in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Test deployment
Robotaxi pilot in Tokyo later this year
Uber's Japanese subsidiary has signed an agreement with a local taxi operator for daily fleet operations.
The deal will see a test deployment of robotaxis in Tokyo later this year.
This is part of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's vision for Uber to become "the world's leading commercialization platform for autonomous vehicles."