Pony.ai's pipeline of overseas robotaxi deployments has grown to more than 4,000 contracted vehicles, the Chinese autonomous-driving company said this week, as it leans on international markets to accelerate growth alongside its existing driverless services in China.
The figure, disclosed alongside second-quarter results reported this week, includes vehicles already under contract with partners abroad, though Pony.ai cautioned that when each deployment actually goes live depends on permitting and other regulatory clearances in each market. Chief executive James Peng said the overseas pipeline reflects contracts already signed rather than aspirational targets.
The more than 4,000 vehicles in Pony.ai's overseas deployment pipeline have already been contracted, with rollout timelines dependent on permits and other regulatory and operational requirements.
James Peng, co-founder and chief executive, Pony.ai
Leaning on Uber for scale
A large share of that pipeline runs through an expanded partnership with Uber, announced this month, that would put more than 2,000 Pony.ai robotaxis on European roads. The companies already run a commercial service in Zagreb, Croatia, with local partner Verne, bookable through the Uber app, and plan to extend it to four more European cities plus markets in the Middle East, though specific locations and timing have not been disclosed. In each market, Pony.ai supplies the self-driving system, Uber handles bookings and customer access, and a local operator owns and manages the physical fleet.
Domestically, Pony.ai reported second-quarter revenue of $36.2 million, up 68.8% from a year earlier, while its net loss narrowed 14.9% to $45.4 million. Robotaxi revenue alone jumped 691.2% year over year and accounted for a third of total revenue for the first time, according to the earnings figures cited in a Reuters report on the results. The company's driverless fleet stood at 1,975 vehicles as of June 30, and it says it remains on track to exceed 3,500 vehicles domestically by year-end.
Pony.ai is not alone in racing abroad: rival Chinese autonomous-driving firm WeRide is weighing expansion into Australia, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. For Pony.ai, which also runs a smaller robotrucking division that grew revenue 40% year over year, the overseas push represents a bet that regulatory openness in Europe and the Middle East can translate into revenue faster than saturating its home market alone.
