New Delhi, Aug. 16 -- Two years after Pony.ai first announced a global robotaxi partnership with Uber, the two companies said Thursday they are ready to scale it. More than 2,000 autonomous vehicles will be deployed across four European cities under an expanded collaboration, the largest robotaxi commitment Europe has seen in a single announcement, and a test of whether a Chinese autonomous vehicle company can operate commercially in a market that has no comparable history with the technology.

Pony.ai supplies the Level 4 autonomous driving system, Uber provides the booking platform and rider access, and a local partner in each city manages the fleet's maintenance, charging, and day-to-day operations. The three-way division of responsibi...