Pony.ai bags first driverless road test permit in Shanghai's Pudong New Area

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On July 8, Chinese autonomous driving solution provider Pony.ai announced that it was among the three companies who obtained the first batch of road test permits for autonomous vehicles without drivers onboard issued by Shanghai's Pudong New Area authority.

Photo credit: Pony.ai

This marks another significant milestone for Pony.ai in its journey towards autonomous driving. The company has already obtained fully driverless passenger-carrying permits in Beijing, Guangzhou, and unmanned autonomous driving testing permits in Shenzhen. The company is now conducting unmanned-driving tests simultaneously in all four major first-tier cities in China.

Photo credit: Pony.ai

With the driverless road test permit in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, Pony.ai will be authorized to conduct open road tests for self-driving autonomous vehicles in the area.

This year, Pony.ai has achieved a series of important milestones in its pursuit of unmanned and commercial autonomous driving. In March, the company obtained the first batch of "full vehicle driverless" demonstration application permits in Beijing's high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone, allowing it to provide autonomous mobility services in the core area of the demonstration zone without safety occupants onboard. In April, it received the first and only remote-monitored passenger-carrying pilot permit in Guangzhou, and in May, it obtained the first and only unmanned testing permit a in Shenzhen. 

The acquisition of the driverless road test permit in Shanghai's Pudong New Area signifies that Pony.ai has officially begun driverless testing in the core urban areas of China's major first-tier cities.