Bosch And Pony.ai Collaborate On Fleet Management Of Autonomous Vehicles

Robotaxis meet 100 years of service excellence – an exploration of the future of automotive fleet maintenance.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) - Self-driving startup Pony.ai announced an agreement with Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services, today to explore the future of automotive maintenance and repair for autonomous fleets.

One of many opportunities in the autonomous driving space is the continuous operation of a fleet, and the reduction of downtime. Pony.ai and Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division in North America plan to develop and pilot innovative fleet maintenance solutions to enable the efficient and scalable operation of future commercial autonomous fleets. Bosch has a long-standing reputation in vehicle maintenance and operates the Bosch Car Service network which will turn one hundred years in 2021. The Bosch Car Service network is the oldest and largest automotive repair and maintenance network with over 20,000 locations across the world.

“High operational efficiency and fleet uptime is crucial to unlock the full economic potential of large-scale robotaxi fleets,” said Matthias Tan, director of product and partnerships at Pony.ai. “Autonomous vehicles are incredibly complex and continuously evolving systems which need to be maintained to the highest standards possible. We needed a partner who was capable of delivering high quality fleet maintenance services, and wanted to seize the opportunity for joint innovation in fleet management solutions for autonomous vehicles.”

With over one thousand locations in North America, the Bosch Car Service network provides a unique footprint for national and local fleet operators. Famous for its quality and sophistication, the network of independent operators acts on the highest industry standards and is well known for having members that lead and set industry maintenance benchmarks on luxury, high performance and new technology vehicles across the whole U.S.

“Bosch and Pony.ai immediately found a great overlap in our strategies, and opportunities where we can learn from each other,” said Jean-Philippe “JP” Persico, director of strategy, innovation and workshop business at Bosch. “Bosch has the unique capability as a network to offer state-of-the-art software solutions, harmonized across our network, together with highly sophisticated and trained technicians.”

An industry dominated by a fragmented software landscape and high labor shortage, the automotive maintenance market has a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.36 percent outgrowing the overall aftermarket industry CAGR of 4 percent.

Tan adds, “As a fleet operator, Pony.ai needs partners that not only provide quality and service excellence, but also the drive to adapt to our needs as we scale our fleet operations. Starting here in the Bay Area, Pony.ai and Bosch aim to test the readiness and operational efficiency to steer a fully autonomous multi-platform fleet with the highest uptime in the industry. We know the best way to scale and keep our fleet on the highest service standard is by utilizing an alliance with a network that has global reach and a strong technology backbone.”

“At Bosch, we continuously innovate by creating alliances and working with startups to develop the best value proposition tailored to both customer groups, the end consumers with its individual car maintenance needs, as well as corporate fleet customers. These fleet business customers seek networks that have a software infrastructure that can scale and adapt to their individual needs, with APIs that enable seamless exchange of information. With the investment into Shop-Ware Inc. in 2018 we have set the foundation to work with innovators and disruptors such as Pony.ai, and have continuously equipped our members with new technology, such as connected diagnostic equipment,” says Persico.

“Being able to run multiple experiments with the Bosch Car Service network equips us to further leapfrog the robotaxi and autonomous vehicle industry,” stresses Tan. While Persico adds, “We could not be happier to also have a network of locations that offer themselves as our test benches to find new ways to disrupt and prepare for disruption. This just highlights the readiness of our network and the collective willingness to remain on the top.”

The pilot of the robotaxi fleet maintenance started at an undisclosed Bosch Car Service location in the San Francisco Bay area in early July 2020.

About Pony.ai
Pony.ai is technology startup building autonomous driving technology. Founded in Silicon Valley in late 2016, Pony.ai has been a pioneer in autonomous mobility technologies and services across the US and China, spearheading public facing Robotaxi pilots in both markets. Pony.ai is committed to creating a safe and sustainable mobility future by delivering autonomous mobility everywhere. Toyota Motor Corp. recently invested $400 million in Pony.ai. The investment extends the companies’ partnership formed last year and pushes Pony.ai’s valuation to more than $3 billion, the startup said in a statement. The pact enables a “deeper integration” of Pony.ai’s technology with Toyota’s vehicles.

About Bosch
Having established a regional presence in 1906 in North America, the Bosch Group employs 34,600 associates in more than 100 locations, as of December 31, 2019. In 2019 Bosch generated consolidated sales of $14.4 billion in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, visit http://www.bosch.us, http://www.bosch.ca and http://www.bosch.mx.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 400,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2019). The company generated sales of 77.7 billion euros in 2019. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Bosch is pursuing a vision of mobility that is sustainable, safe, and exciting. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to facilitate connected living with products and solutions that either contain artificial intelligence (AI) or have been developed or manufactured with its help. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. Bosch employs some 72,600 associates in research and development at 126 locations across the globe, as well as roughly 30,000 software engineers.

Additional information is available online at http://www.bosch.com, http://www.iot.bosch.com, http://www.bosch-press.com, http://www.twitter.com/BoschPress.

Exchange rate: 1 EUR = 1.1027

About Bosch Automotive Aftermarket
Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division (AA) provides aftermarket and repair shops worldwide with a complete range of diagnostic and repair shop equipment and a wide range of spare parts – from new and exchange parts to repair solutions – for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Its product portfolio includes products made as Bosch original equipment, as well as aftermarket products and services developed and manufactured in-house. More than 18,000 associates in 150 countries, as well as a global logistics network, ensure that some 650,000 different spare parts reach customers quickly and on time. In its “Automotive Service Solutions” operations, Bosch AA supplies testing and repair-shop technology, diagnostic software, service training, and information services. In addition, the division is responsible for the “Bosch Service” repair-shop franchise, one of the world’s largest independent chains of repair-shops, with some 20,000 workshops.

About Bosch Car Service
The Bosch Car Service network is uniquely equipped for the challenges facing automotive technicians and repair shops, including ever-growing complex vehicles and systems. A focus on technology and highly skilled technicians offers the best repair solution in the industry. The network covers all makes of vehicles and is capable of servicing all vehicle types including gasoline, diesel, electric or hybrid passenger vehicles. All Bosch Car Service shops must complete a rigorous certification process with commitments to continuous improvement.