Pony.ai reaches cooperation with FAW Nanjing for Robotaxi application

Beijing (Gasgoo)- China’s autonomous driving developer, Pony.ai announced that it had inked a strategic cooperation agreement with the AI development arm of FAW Group, FAW Nanjing Technology for Robotaxi development.

Signing ceremony; photo credit: Pony.ai

As FAW Group is one of the strategic investors on Pony.ai, the partnership with the automaker’s subsidiary represents their shared vision of building a safe, reliable, efficient, and convenient mobility experience.

Per the agreement, Pony.ai and FAW Nanjing will give each’s technology and production advantages full play, accelerating the scale application of Robotaxis.

Technical-wise, the two parties will co-formulate a mass-producible solution for an autonomous driving sensor hardware system and co-develop compatible vehicle models for Robotaxi. With the solution and the vehicle, the partners will perform mass-production and realize large-scale applications for the low-cost autonomous driving platform.

Furthermore, Pony.ai and FAW Nanjing intend to form a pilot autonomous driving fleet, carrying out commercial operations in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Changchun, and Nanjing.

Pony.ai’s Robotaxi service has been gradually expanding over the years. The company has been conducting Robotaxi operations in five cities in China and the US, namely Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Fremont, and Irvine, providing over 500,000 times of services.

Pony.ai’s Robotaxi operation in E-Town, Bejing, has achieved a remarkable milestone, becoming one of the first companies in the country permitted to conduct paid Robotaxi services.