Pony.ai expands driverless autonomous vehicle tests to highways in Beijing

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On January 14, autonomous driving solution provider Pony.ai announced the commencement of driverless autonomous driving tests on highways and urban expressways in the city of Beijing. The company is among the first to receive a license for "driverless with safety operator on passenger seat" testing on such roads, marking a significant milestone in Beijing's push for unmanned autonomous driving.  

Photo credit: Pony.ai

Pony.ai's Toyota Sienna-based Robotaxi and Lexus RX-based Robotaxi are approved for testing across nearly 90 kilometers of routes, including sections of key highways such as the Beijing-Taipei Expressway, Daxing Airport Expressway, and portions of the South Third, Fourth, and Fifth Ring Roads. Testing times vary by route, with the Daxing Airport route operating from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. and the Beijing South Railway Station route from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., encompassing diverse conditions from peak hours to low-light nighttime scenarios.  

Photo credit: Pony.ai

This initiative aligns with Beijing's fourth-phase plans to advance its high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone, focusing on applications like airport and railway station connections. Other Chinese cities, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have also issued Pony.ai with highway testing permits for intelligent connected vehicles, broadening autonomous driving capabilities nationwide.  

The inclusion of highways in autonomous vehicle road testing accelerates the refinement of fully driverless mobility services, paving the way for commercial adoption and citywide implementation while addressing diverse user mobility needs.