SHENZHEN, China: DeepRoute.ai, a pioneer in autonomous driving technology, has announced plans to launch robotaxi operations using consumer-grade production vehicles by end-2025.
The company said this would mark a key step toward commercialising autonomous driving technology, leveraging DeepRoute.ai's production vehicle platform to accelerate large-scale deployment for everyday users.
Backed by over US$500 million (RM2.1bil) from investors including Alibaba and Great Wall Motor, DeepRoute.ai plans to deploy robotaxis using the same platform that powers 150,000 production vehicles already deployed for consumer assisted driving in China — and more than 200,000 expected by year-end.
This production vehicle approach creates a stark contrast to traditional robotaxi operators relying on expensive custom-built vehicles.
By integrating autonomous driving systems directly into vehicles during manufacturing, the company eliminates costly retrofitting expenses whilst its map-free navigation technology removes high-definition map licensing fees and ongoing maintenance costs.
This production vehicle approach enables rapid expansion to new cities without lengthy mapping preparation.
"A key strength of DeepRoute.ai's approach is that its robotaxi platform and mass-produced vehicles are built on the same core technology framework, enabling a high level of consistency and seamless platform interoperability," said DeepRoute.ai CEO Maxwell Zhou.
Leveraging insights from an expanding global fleet, the company continuously refines and validates its technology in diverse urban environments, accelerating the deployment of production-ready autonomous capabilities for consumer markets.
The robotaxi market has particularly strong potential in Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
DeepRoute.ai's production vehicle approach offers lower hardware costs suited to these markets, where Europe's high labor costs and progressive regulatory frameworks along with Japan and South Korea's acute demographic challenges — aging populations and driver shortages — to create favourable conditions for autonomous ride-hailing services.
DeepRoute.ai is establishing a European operational presence to support localisation and partner engagement.
