2022年9月29日

Pony.aiteams up with SAIC to develop fully driverless electric robotaxi September 27, 2022 10:10 pm On September 27, Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company with dual headquarters in Guangzhou and California, announced that it is cooperating with Chinese automaker SAIC to develop a fully driverless electric "robotaxi. The two sides will collaborate on automotive chassis, intelligent cockpit, human-machine interface, remote assistance, and other intelligent driving technologies and jointly promote the implementation of Shanghai’s driverless policy, said Pony.ai in a statement, adding that their mass-produced, purpose-built vehicle will "accelerate the widespread commercial adoption of robotaxi services" and autonomous driving technology across multiple cities in China. The announcement of the partnership with SAIC comes a week after Pony.ai said it would work with another major Chinese automaker, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, to develop similar driverless taxis in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Since the establishment of the Shanghai R&D Center in July 2020, Pony.ai's robotaxi service project is advancing rapidly. In July 2021, the startup launched a robotaxi service in Jiading District, Shanghai, covering the main urban area of Jiading City; in November 2021, it further expanded the PonyPilot+ service and fleet size in Shanghai. In April, Pony.ai and internet search giant Baidu won permits to provide driverless ride-hailing services to the public on open roads in Beijing. Pony.ai also won a permit in the same month to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as taxis in the Nansha district of Guangzhou. As China tightens control over data security, Pony.ai, which has operations in both China and the US, reportedly suspended plans to go public in New York through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) last year. Pony.ai received a $400 million investment from Toyota in 2020, one of a number of bets placed by the Japanese carmaker on autonomous driving startups. SHARE