Chinese autonomous taxi technology enters European markets

A Verne Robotaxi navigates the streets of Zagreb, Croatia, in May. MARKO PERKOV/AFP

Chinese autonomous driving companies are expanding their presence in Europe through partnerships with local mobility platforms, fleet operators and automakers, amid efforts by European governments to enable testing and future commercial deployment.

WeRide said on Aug 3 that it had formed a strategic partnership with Danish shared electric mobility provider GreenMobility. The partners aim to launch a public robotaxi service in Denmark in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

Denmark is WeRide's first Nordic market and its sixth in Europe. The service will use WeRide's GXR, an EU-compliant Level 4 autonomous vehicle. It is capable of operating without a human driver in designated areas and under specified conditions, according to the company.

The partnership will draw on GreenMobility's experience in local fleet operations and shared mobility. Testing and deployment will be carried out in cooperation with Danish road and transport authorities and in accordance with Danish and EU regulations, the companies said.

Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide, said the partnership could serve as a scalable model for deploying autonomous mobility services in new international markets.

The Danish project comes as European countries seek greater coordination on autonomous vehicle testing and deployment. In June, 18 EU member states signed a joint declaration of intent to establish large-scale cross-border test beds for autonomous vehicles.

The initiative covers autonomous vehicle use cases in public transport, freight and logistics. Participating countries will work on common approval principles and coordinated permitting procedures to aid large-scale testing and future commercial deployment.

The declaration said moving from testing to real-world deployment also requires consistent and predictable conditions for operating automated transport services across the EU single market.

Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing service Apollo Go and European mobility platform Freenow by Lyft began testing sixth-generation RT6 autonomous vehicles in London on July 28.

The initial tests are being conducted with safety operators on board in the London borough of Brent, which includes both urban and suburban driving environments. The partners plan to offer rides to the public in 2027, subject to regulatory approval.

Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai announced in June that it was preparing an autonomous mobility pilot in Luxembourg with European mobility platform Bolt and multinational automaker Stellantis.

Pony.ai will provide the autonomous driving technology, Bolt will contribute its experience operating a ride-hailing platform, and Stellantis will provide a midsize van built on a platform designed to support L4 autonomous driving, together with vehicle engineering and manufacturing expertise.

In Zagreb, Croatia, Pony.ai is providing autonomous driving technology for a robotaxi service operated by mobility company Verne. The service opened to the public in April, and passengers can book and pay for rides through Verne's app.

Uber is also a partner in the Zagreb project. Verne said in April that rides would later be available through Uber's app. The service had trained autonomous vehicle operators on board during the early phase of the rollout.

Ron Zheng, a senior partner at Roland Berger and head of its automotive practice in Asia, said Chinese autonomous driving companies need to adapt their algorithms using local data because European traffic rules, road signs and mixed-traffic conditions differ markedly from those in China.

Their long-term prospects will depend on how quickly they meet local regulatory requirements and build stable partnerships with European companies, Zheng said.

wangyuchen@chinadaily.com.cn