Pony.ai has signed a strategic agreement with JD Auto Service, JD.com’s automotive maintenance and services business, to build a standardized, scalable maintenance and spare-parts support system for its autonomous vehicle fleet in China. The deal comes as Pony.ai scales its Robotaxi fleet from more than 1,700 vehicles to a targeted fleet of over 3,500 vehicles across more than 20 cities worldwide by the end of 2026. By connecting its fleet management platform with JD Auto Service’s nationwide network, the company aims to improve vehicle availability, accelerate deployment in new cities and further optimize lifecycle operating costs.
“Robotaxi commercialization is as much an operational challenge as it is a technology challenge,” said Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai. “As our fleet grows, vehicle availability, service consistency and lifecycle costs become increasingly important drivers of unit economics. This partnership adds a standardized maintenance layer to our operating platform, helping us scale more efficiently while maintaining the safety and service quality our users expect.”
Highlights
- Pony.ai is scaling its Robotaxi fleet from more than 1,700 vehicles to a targeted 3,500-plus vehicles across more than 20 cities worldwide by the end of 2026.
- The JD Auto Service partnership begins in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen before extending to additional major Chinese cities.
- Pony.ai has achieved Gen-7 Robotaxi unit economics breakeven in both Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
- The companies will integrate systems for work-order dispatch, service tracking, acceptance and settlement to automate the maintenance process end to end.
A Nationwide Maintenance Layer for a Scaling Fleet
Under the agreement, JD Auto Service will draw on its platform capabilities and nationwide service network to respond to Pony.ai’s fleet needs, coordinating maintenance capacity and parts resources to keep more Robotaxis in operation. The CleverSolutions Autonomous launch earlier this month reflected a similar industry shift, as AV operators increasingly treat maintenance coordination as a distinct layer of the operating stack rather than an in-house afterthought.
For Pony.ai, tapping an established nationwide service network reduces the need to build a separate maintenance footprint in every new market. The company expects this to shorten operational preparation timelines, improve capital efficiency and support faster fleet expansion.
Rolling Out City by City
The collaboration will begin in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen before extending to additional major Chinese cities, with designated service locations, tiered parts inventory and off-peak maintenance capacity designed to reduce turnaround times and minimize disruption to high-frequency fleet operations.
The two companies will also jointly develop maintenance procedures for Robotaxis and integrate their systems for work-order dispatch, service tracking, acceptance and settlement. Automating the process from fault reporting through service completion is intended to reduce manual coordination and create a consistent operating standard that can be replicated across cities.
Maintenance as Core Robotaxi Infrastructure
Vehicle availability is a direct contributor to Robotaxi unit economics. Faster maintenance response, reliable parts supply and consistent service standards can reduce downtime, keep more vehicles in revenue-generating operation and improve fleet availability during periods of peak demand.
Pony.ai has already achieved Gen-7 Robotaxi unit economics breakeven in both Guangzhou and Shenzhen, supported by lower vehicle costs, growing user demand and continued improvements in operational efficiency. The JD Auto Service agreement addresses another component of that cost structure by improving maintenance efficiency and parts procurement across the vehicle lifecycle.
As L4 autonomous driving moves toward multi-thousand-vehicle deployment, maintenance is becoming core commercialization infrastructure. The partnership extends Pony.ai’s ecosystem beyond technology development, vehicle manufacturing and mobility operations, strengthening the operating foundation needed to support larger fleets and continued geographic expansion.
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