Pony.ai permitted to conduct Level 4 autonomous truck platooning tests in Guangzhou

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The autonomous driving company Pony.ai announced on Wednesday via its WeChat account that it has secured the first license for autonomous truck platooning testing in Guangzhou, allowing Level 4 platooning autonomous driving tests on the city's open roads. This marks a significant stride for Pony.ai in expanding its large-scale autonomous driving transport services for bulk commodities.

Photo credit: Pony.ai

Pony.ai's autonomous truck platooning operates in a "1+N" formation, with one navigator autonomous truck guiding multiple L4-level autonomous trucks along roadways. Five autonomous trucks have been granted licenses for platooning tests. This approach not only lowers operational costs but also enhances transport efficiency. Besides, by minimizing braking time differences between vehicles, reducing following distances, and leveraging the lead truck to break through the wind, this platooning method significantly cuts air resistance, lowering carbon emissions for greener transportation. Additionally, it optimizes road utilization efficiency and mitigates traffic congestion, contributing to a decreased risk of accidents.

Photo credit: Pony.ai

In December 2020, Pony.ai secured Guangdong Province's first license for autonomous truck testing. Leveraging this testing permit, Pony.ai has continuously refined and enhanced its technology, system optimization, and practical testing to meet the requirements for obtaining the recent platooning testing license.

This achievement not only reflects the acknowledgment of Pony.ai's technological prowess by the Guangzhou municipal government and other third-party entities, but also injects new impetus into Pony.ai's future development, said the company.

Pony.ai has been actively exploring long-haul logistics and dedicated logistics freight transportation with autonomous trucks across various regions, and under different road and weather conditions in China. In June 2022, Pony.ai's autonomous truck was recognized in Guangzhou's mixed traffic demonstration operation vehicle catalog, obtaining operation qualifications. In September 2023, Pony.ai received a notice for the demonstration application of intelligent-connected heavy-duty trucks in Beijing's intelligent-connected vehicle policy pilot zone, allowing its autonomous trucks to collaborate with Sinotrans Limited to provide demonstration freight services in real-world scenarios.

According to Pony.ai’s data, as of now, its autonomous truck testing mileage has exceeded 3 million kilometers, with over 610,000 kilometers in commercial operation and a total cargo weight of nearly 40,000 tonnes.