Tesla, Google and China leave Europe behind in the race for self-driving cars

"WeRide, Pony AI, Apollo Go, Xpeng, May Mobility, Zoox, Lucid, Waymo, and Moia. All of these names, which are mostly unknown to the general public, are companies that could be key players in the automobile of tomorrow. This is because of the development of autonomous mobility, the new holy grail of the auto industry that promises multi-billion-dollar profits to anyone capable of mastering the technology and dominating the sector in the coming years."

"While it seems unlikely to become a widespread reality in the short term, both China and the U.S. are encouraging the launch of trials of a technology that has already left its mark. Last year, General Motors announced that it was abandoning the robotaxi business due to its high cost. The projects that continue to move forward are mostly supported by large technology companies or directly by the state, as is the case with WeRide, backed by the Chinese government."

"This month, with the help of a local partner, the company announced that it will begin testing a route through Singapore's Punggol neighborhood, with the goal of launching a robotaxi rental service by early 2026. Another Chinese company, Pony AI, will compete in that same market, motivated by the city-state's announcement that it will integrate autonomous vehicles into its public transportation network."

Autonomous mobility development attracts numerous companies and state-backed initiatives, promising large future profits for those who master robotaxi technology. China and the U.S. are encouraging trials despite likely slow mass adoption. General Motors exited the robotaxi business last year due to high costs. Remaining projects often receive backing from large tech firms or governments, exemplified by WeRide's Chinese government support and planned Singapore Punggol tests aiming for a 2026 robotaxi rental launch. Pony AI targets the same market as Singapore integrates autonomous vehicles into public transit. Waymo operates robotaxis across multiple U.S. cities, and Tesla began driverless paid transport in Austin.

Read at english.elpais.com