Pony.ai Expands Robotaxi Pilot, Plans Mass Production of Self-driving System in 2023

On May 13, autonomous vehicle startup Pony.ai announced the expansion of its Robotaxi service in Beijing. The taxi service will be operating within a 150 square miles pilot zone, available to the public from 8:30 to 22:30. The company procured an additional 30 vehicle licenses in April, in additional to its dozens of vehicles currently operating. Moreover, Pony.ai announced cooperation with LiDAR producer Luminar on May 10, 2021. The company will install Luminar’s Iris LiDar onto its flagship self-driving system, which is to be mass produced in 2023. Founded in 2016, Pony.ai conducts self-driving tests in five cities within China and the United States. The company has already accumulated five million kilometers of test mileage, second only to tech giants like Waymo and Baidu.