Entering the Middle East! Pony AI will collaborate with Uber Tech to launch autonomous taxi services
In order to gain an advantage in the fierce competition with car companies like Tesla, Uber has repeatedly collaborated with autonomous driving technology companies. On Tuesday, Uber announced a partnership with China's Pony AI to integrate its autonomous vehicles into the Uber platform. The collaboration is set to launch in the Middle East market later this year, with plans to expand to other international markets in the future. In early trading on the US stock market, XPeng surged over 30%, while Uber initially fell over 2.7% before turning positive
A new collaboration has emerged in the field of autonomous driving.
On Tuesday, Uber announced a strategic partnership with the "Chinese autonomous taxi development company" Pony AI, planning to integrate Pony AI's vehicles into Uber's ride-hailing platform. According to the plan, the collaboration will launch later this year in the Middle East market, with plans to expand to other international markets in the future.
During the initial pilot phase, Pony AI's vehicles will be equipped with safety drivers for testing to ensure safety and a smooth transition in the driving experience. As autonomous driving technology continues to develop, Uber and Pony AI's ultimate goal is to achieve driverless operation, allowing users to completely say goodbye to drivers.
On Tuesday morning in the U.S. stock market, Uber's stock price fell over 2.7% before turning positive, while Pony AI's stock rose over 30% at one point.
Uber continues to ramp up autonomous driving to compete with rivals
This is not Uber's first foray into the autonomous driving market. In recent years, Uber has strengthened its ties with autonomous driving technology companies through multiple partnership agreements, aiming to gain an edge in the fierce competition with rivals Lyft and Tesla.
In addition to the collaboration with Pony AI, Uber announced last week partnerships with several autonomous driving technology companies, including May Mobility from the U.S. and Momenta from China, and recently expanded its collaboration with China's WeRide. In the future, Uber plans to expand its business presence in 15 new cities globally. Last year, Uber also expanded its partnership with Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet.
Founded in 2016, Pony AI has received substantial capital support, including investments from Toyota. Headquartered in Guangzhou, Pony AI has obtained autonomous taxi service licenses in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen in China, and plans to launch the service in Hong Kong. Currently, Pony AI is actively expanding its business, planning to enter markets in South Korea, Luxembourg, the Middle East, and other regions.
The autonomous taxi market is still in its infancy, facing complex engineering challenges and regulatory issues, but technology companies and electric vehicle manufacturers are intensifying their research and development of autonomous driving systems, aiming for large-scale commercial deployment of autonomous taxis.
On the positive side, the U.S. government has begun to expand exemptions for autonomous vehicles, relaxing specific safety requirements to promote the commercialization of this technology while ensuring strict enforcement of key aspects such as accident reporting
