ECARX and May Mobility have signed a strategic framework agreement aimed at deploying up to thousands of autonomous vehicles, with initial rollout plans beginning next year and broader commercialization targeted for 2028.
Under the agreement, ECARX is expected to become the exclusive technology provider for the project, supplying Level 4 autonomous computing platforms along with a full sensor suite for May Mobility’s next-generation autonomous ride-hailing fleet.
The companies said they are jointly targeting a reduction of at least 50% in the total cost of a May Mobility autonomous vehicle by 2028. The overall project value is estimated at about $750 million over the duration of the partnership, although both firms said the scope and financial details remain subject to further negotiations and definitive agreements.
The deployment program will also depend on regulatory approvals, the companies added.
As part of the collaboration, ECARX plans to provide automotive-grade Level 4 central computing systems and integrated sensors, including LiDAR, radar, cameras and inertial measurement units, on a jointly selected third-party vehicle platform.
May Mobility said the hardware will support its autonomous driving software, which uses a predictive world model and reasoning engine to simulate driving conditions and evaluate multiple driving strategies in real time. The company currently operates autonomous ride-hailing services in cities across the United States and Japan.
“This partnership marks a major milestone for ECARX as we expand our global footprint in autonomous driving,” said Ziyu Shen, founder and chief executive of ECARX.
“May Mobility is a proven trailblazer in safe, scalable AV deployments, and we are proud to have the potential to deliver our cutting-edge L4 central computing to power their next-generation vehicles,” Shen said.
Edwin Olson, chief executive and founder of May Mobility, said scaling autonomous ride-hailing services would require collaboration across the industry.
“Autonomous ride-hail at scale isn’t built by one company alone,” Olson said. “ECARX brings the engineering depth and supply chain expertise that turn a great autonomy stack into thousands of autonomous vehicles on the road at a cost structure that actually works at scale.”
May Mobility has previously partnered with Uber Technologies and Lyft to deploy autonomous vehicles on ride-hailing networks.
