Pony.ai isn’t just another player in the autonomous driving race—it’s a high-tech contender rooted in both Silicon Valley and Guangzhou, China, aiming to transform how transportation operates in two of the world’s most complex and dynamic markets. As a cross-border autonomous driving company, Pony.ai is developing Level 4 self-driving technology designed to operate without human intervention under defined conditions. And now, it’s not only developing fast—it’s doing it cheaply.

A recent report confirmed that Pony.ai has slashed the cost of building its most advanced autonomous driving system by 70%, reducing the bill-of-materials per vehicle from over $137,000 to just around $41,165. This is a significant milestone on the road to single-unit profitability—the point at which each additional robotaxi generates more value than it costs.

On April 28, 2025, I bought 10 shares of PONY AI INC at $10.08 each, totaling $100.80. Not a moonshot gamble, but a calculated position taken with the Double-Up Free Stock Strategy in mind.

Why Pony.ai?

Let’s talk fundamentals. At the time of purchase, Pony had no earnings (no P/E ratio) and a P/S ratio exceeding 15x. In plain terms, the company was still in heavy investment mode and had not yet reached profitability. But that’s expected in this phase of tech development. This is not a value stock—it’s a growth narrative with visible, credible forward drivers.

One major driver is the company’s technology-cost alignment. Unlike peers who are either burning cash or overbuilding expensive prototypes, Pony has tuned its systems to operate more efficiently on the same computing power—translating directly into scalability. This is where margins will eventually come from.

Then there are the strategic partnerships: Pony.ai isn’t going it alone. It’s working with Toyota, BAIC Motor, and Guangzhou Auto, forming a robust supply chain and deployment ecosystem. Their autonomous fleets are already running pilots in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou Auto, forming a robust supply chain and deployment ecosystem. Their autonomous fleets are already running pilots in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. And in a recent development, Pony.ai partnered with Uber, integrating its robotaxi tech into Uber’s mobility platform. That gives Pony immediate access to Uber’s massive user base in cities where autonomous pilot zones are expanding—especially in California and China’s urban cores.

The company plans to deploy 1,000 robotaxis by the end of this year, aiming to reach breakeven on operations. Analysts at Bernstein have noted that this level of deployment, combined with reduced costs per vehicle, could make Pony one of the first autonomous players to reach operational profitability at fleet scale.

Strategy in Motion: Trailing Stop Order

On April 29, 2025, I placed a trailing stop sell order for 6 shares, set at a 10% trailing threshold. If the price rises, the stop price rises with it. If the stock retreats by 10% from its high, the order triggers automatically.

As of today, the order remains pending. The stock has not fallen back enough to activate the sale, which is ideal—it means potential gains are still growing while downside risk is capped.

This move aligns exactly with the Double-Up Free Stock Strategy: sell just enough to recover the original investment, and leave the remaining shares to ride long-term upside. It’s about optimizing for asymmetry—limited downside, uncapped upside.

Why This Makes Sense

In a sector driven by long-term innovation cycles, it’s tempting to go all-in or avoid entirely. But there’s a middle path—structured participation. With Pony’s improving cost structure, geographic scale, Uber partnership, and growing regulatory momentum, it has a plausible shot at near-term revenue milestones. Yet the risks remain real: regulatory shifts, competition from Baidu and Didi, and execution delays could still cause drawdowns.

That’s why I chose this structure. The trailing stop protects capital. The held shares capture optionality. I’m not forecasting robotaxis will take over tomorrow—but I don’t need to. I just need the narrative to continue long enough for this thesis to pay off.

Final Thoughts

Pony.ai represents the kind of early-stage story that gets ignored when sentiment cools and overbought when hype returns. That’s why strategies like this one matter—they let you enter bold ideas without getting reckless.

This trade is about discipline, not drama. I’m not just holding PONY—I’m holding it with a clear strategy, a risk exit, and long-term upside.

Until next time,