AIBRIEF
Pony.ai already runs paid driverless service in four Chinese cities, and founder James Peng told the Fortune Leaders Forum the technology is "pretty much already solved".
Pony.ai will put more than 2,000 robotaxis on Uber's European network and 200 more in South Korea by 2028, founder and CEO James Peng said at the Fortune Leaders Forum in Macau on Sept. 8.
The European fleet extends an August Uber partnership that began with a Zagreb, Croatia launch. The South Korea plan is new. Pony.ai already runs paid driverless service in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai, where its vehicles log about 25 rides per day each.
Peng framed the moment as overdue. "I think the technology problem is pretty much already solved," he said. "You'll be able to hail a robotaxi just like a normal taxi."
His own numbers complicate that pitch. Pony.ai's Q2 robotaxi revenue was $12.1 million, up almost 700% year over year. The same quarter produced a $65.7 million operating loss. The 700% growth sits on a small base, and the company is still spending roughly five times what it pulls in from rides.
Peng picks cities with expensive taxis and friendly regulators, leaning on partners like Uber to win over the public and policymakers. Rival Chinese operators WeRide and Baidu are pushing into the same overseas markets. If the revenue curve holds, the loss closes on its own. For now, "solved" is the forecast, not the result.