Ecarx, backed by Li Shufu, to supply robotaxis to US startup May Mobility in a $750 million deal

Ecarx, part of the portfolio of Chinese billionaire Li Shufu, has signed a contract to supply robotaxis to US startup May Mobility. The deal is estimated at about $750 million and could reshape the driverless transport market in the US.

The scale of the contract

The agreement between Ecarx and May Mobility is one of the largest contracts ever signed in the autonomous driving segment. The companies have not disclosed all details of the partnership, but it involves supplying many robotaxis to the US market over several years. May Mobility plans to use the vehicles for ride-hailing and cargo delivery services in several large American cities.

The $750 million figure reflects the project's ambition: it could cover tens of thousands of vehicles, or a long-term contract for software development and integration. A contract like this signals that the American market is ready for mass deployment of driverless taxis and trucks. That came faster than seemed possible a few years ago, when autonomous cars were considered technology of the future.

Li Shufu's portfolio grows in AI and automotive

Li Shufu, founder and controlling shareholder of automaker Geely, is one of the biggest investors in future technologies. His portfolio includes electric vehicle makers, battery producers, software companies and now Ecarx, a firm specializing in platforms for driverless vehicles.

Ecarx develops operating systems, hardware and integrated solutions for autonomous vehicles. The company does not build cars itself, but supplies technology and platforms to companies that produce or operate them. That is the genius of Li Shufu's strategy:

• Geely builds the physical cars (conventional and EV)
• Ecarx develops the brain for the driverless versions
• Partners like May Mobility operate the fleet and collect revenue
• Investments span the whole stack: from materials to the final consumer service

This vertical integration gives Li Shufu an advantage: his companies control critical parts of the value chain.

Chinese technology in the American market

May Mobility's contract with Ecarx shows that American mobility startups are already ready to buy critical technology from Chinese developers. Such deals once seemed politically and economically impossible because of sanctions, tariffs and mutual distrust. But in AI and driverless cars, competition runs not between countries but between companies and their engineering teams.

May Mobility, which operates in the American market and has investment from local venture funds, chose Ecarx as a reliable supplier of critical technology. This speaks to the quality of Ecarx's work and the trust it has earned in the global market.

What this means

Robotaxis are moving out of labs and experiments into a scalable business. Every multibillion-dollar contract confirms that the technology has matured and that investors believe in its profitability. The deal between Ecarx and May Mobility is not just a commercial agreement but a market signal: driverless transport is becoming reality, not an engineer's dream.

For Li Shufu, the contract confirms his vertical integration strategy. Geely makes the cars, Ecarx provides the intelligence, and partners like May Mobility grow around the world, bringing profit to everyone in the ecosystem. The signal is clear: the next decade in transport will belong to companies that can combine hardware, software and services in a single stack.