Pony.ai mentioned its robotaxis can navigate complicated city environments, together with tunnels, dense site visitors, and irregular intersections. | Supply: Pony.ai
Pony.ai Inc. yesterday introduced a strategic partnership with Shenzhen Xihu Corp., the most important taxi operator in Shenzhen, China. The businesses will collectively deploy a fleet of greater than 1,000 Pony.ai’s seventh-generation robotaxis in Shenzhen within the coming years.
The companions mentioned they hope to speed up large-scale robotaxi deployments through the use of an “asset-light and AI-empowered mannequin.” This mannequin integrates autonomous driving with native mobility networks, bringing robotaxis to a broader passenger base.
Based in 2016, Pony.ai mentioned its vehicle-agnostic Digital Driver know-how stack integrates proprietary software program, {hardware}, and companies. The firm has headquarters in Guangzhou, China, and Fremont, Calif.
Xihu integrates fleet experience with robotaxis
Established in 1979, Xihu Group focuses on transportation, integrating business, commerce, tourism, actual property, training, environmental safety, and industrial parks. It has many years of expertise in taxi fleet operation, native regulatory compliance, and companies and upkeep networks. The corporate at the moment has almost 5,000 electrical taxis.
Xihu Group plans to combine its experience with Pony.ai’s proprietary {hardware} and software program, AI-powered order-dispatch functionality, and understanding of person wants. The companions mentioned they are going to work collectively to ship a seamless mobility expertise.
Particularly, Xihu will deal with the fleet and asset operations, security, and repair ensures. In the meantime, Pony.ai will give attention to know-how improvements and scalable robotaxi dispatch and repair. Going ahead, Pony.ai plans to proceed collaborating with extra transportation service suppliers, automakers, and third events to advertise the mass deployment of autonomous mobility.
Now accepting session submissions!
Pony.ai describes Seventh-gen platform
In April, Pony.ai launched its seventh-generation autonomous driving system. The corporate mentioned it plans to mass-produce its techniques by the center of this yr. It options an automotive-grade autonomous driving package (ADK) with an prolonged product lifecycle, delivering enhanced stability and security for passengers, mentioned Pony.ai.
The corporate mentioned steady design optimizations have additionally diminished the overall bill-of-materials (BOM) prices by 70%. This additionally got here with an 80% lower in autonomous driving computation (ADC) and a 68% lower in solid-state lidar, in every case in contrast with its predecessor.
As well as, Pony.ai claimed that its modular platform structure permits adaptation throughout a number of car fashions, starting from its three robotaxi fashions to robotruck companies down the highway. The corporate can be utilizing simulation to coach its techniques.
Final month, Pony.ai partnered with Uber Applied sciences Inc. to deploy the corporate’s robotaxis on the Uber platform. The duo plans to launch the service within the Center East later this yr, with plans to scale to worldwide markets sooner or later. Through the preliminary pilot section, these autos can have a security operator onboard till the businesses’ totally autonomous industrial launch.
The corporate additionally has plans to develop to Europe. In April, it introduced its European division and obtained a scientific testing allow for Degree 4 autonomous driving from Luxembourg’s Ministry of Mobility and Public Works.
WeRide is one other outstanding Chinese language AV developer that has labored with Uber this yr. Uber mentioned in a regulatory submitting that it’s going to make investments an extra $100 million into WeRide, and it’ll deliver WeRide’s know-how to fifteen extra cities over the subsequent 5 years.
This growth follows WeRide’s AV launch in Abu Dhabi. The corporate plans to launch a service in Dubai quickly, with new cities in Europe to observe. WeRide mentioned it plans to launch companies in a number of new cities annually, all exterior of the U.S. and China.
