Pony.ai obtains Beijing’s road test license for fully unmanned self-driving vehicles

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Pony.ai was among one of the companies to receive road test license for fully unmanned autonomous driving vehicles in Beijing, the company announced on December 30. 

Photo credit: Pony.ai

With the permits, Pony.ai will orderly put 10 unmanned autonomous test vehicles in the areas and time period defined by the BJHAD for open the road tests, without drivers of safety operators onboard. The safety officer will monitor the test vehicle in real time through a remote assistance platform, and provide remote assistance to the vehicle if necessary.

The permit issuance marked another milestone in the autonomous driving development strategy of the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD), where the BJHAD kicked off validation of remotely monitored fully unmanned driverless vehicle road test. The milestone bears both industrial and technical significance, laying a solid foundation for the future commercialization of fully autonomous driving mobility service.

In October last year, the BJHAD opened gradual road tests for unmanned self-driving vehicles for the first time, and clearly divided the unmanned tests into three stages, namely with a driver in the passenger seat, with an empty front row (back row still has safe operators), and the final remote monitor from outside the vehicle. 

Pony.ai received approval on November 16 for the second phase of the unmanned road test in the BJHAD, allowing the company to conduct road tests with no one in the front row and safety operators in the back row.