May Mobility plans to put more than 10,000 autonomous Volkswagen ID. Buzz vehicles on robotaxi platforms worldwide by 2031, alongside a stated effort to lower all-in costs.
May said its supply-chain work with ECARX and Charlton Intelligence.ai aims to reduce all-in costs by at least 50% against its current-generation vehicle. The Nov. 12 announcement gave no deadline or calculation for that target.
ECARX set a separate goal of at least 50% cost reduction by 2028 in a framework agreement with May announced in May. ECARX said the agreement’s scope and details remained subject to definitive agreements, with deployment subject to regulatory determination.
May plans to adapt the ID. Buzz for its autonomous driving kit. ECARX will help integrate May’s driving system, while fleet operator partners are expected to deploy the vehicles. Charlton joined to help with deployment; May did not specify its precise role.
The arrangement puts vehicle ownership and operating expenses with May’s fleet partners, Axios reported in September. In the model Axios described, May supplies its autonomous-driving system while fleet partners fund the vehicles, depots and maintenance. ECARX said the partnership could create a new revenue stream for the company.
In figures released Nov. 12, May cited three driver-out deployments and a total of 1.1 million miles across the United States and Japan, alongside more than 600,000 commercial autonomous rides. CEO and founder Dr. Edwin Olson said the choice of vehicle platform is important to scaling autonomous ride-hail.
Volkswagen Group has a separate ID. Buzz effort through subsidiary MOIA America. In April, the automaker said MOIA planned to offer Uber rides with autonomous vehicles in Los Angeles by the end of 2026, after validation testing involving more than 100 vehicles and onboard human operators.
May expects U.S. road testing to begin in early 2027 and is targeting delivery of its first production vehicles in 2028. The company said it expects to share more details on the vehicles, testing and deployment later.
