On January 20, 2022, just days away from China’s New Year, Pony.ai, an autonomous driving startup, debuted its 6th generation autonomous driving (AD) system.
Toyota S-AM, a hybrid with autonomous mobility, will be the first vehicle to install the system. This model will start road testing this year before joining Ponay.ai’s Robotaxi operations in the first half of 2023.
One detail of the release is worth taking note. This system has leading-edge sensors, NVIDIA DRIVE computing platform solutions, and styling and design features for L4 automotive-grade mass production fleets. It aims to bring L4 autonomous driving experience, which is not commonly available in EVs, and comply with vehicle regulations at the same time.
In the eve of installing autonomous driving system on mass-produced vehicles, companies are busy with road testing and operations, scrambling to gain an upper hand in the future that features autonomous driving. According to the data and performance about the new generation product, Poni.ai is well-positioned to maintain a market lead in this cutting-edge technology application.
The sensor package, consisting of 23 sensors, includes 4 solid-state LiDARs on the roof, covering a 360° field of view; three near-range LiDARs on the body of the vehicle, covering the blind spots of the roof LiDARs; 5 millimeter-wave radars located at the corners of the roof; 11 cameras deployed around the roof and body of the vehicle.
Pony.ai also adopts the next-generation mass-production computing unit powered by the NVIDIA DRIVE Orin. This powerful unit has three highlights: low latency, high performance, and high reliability. Many star EVs, such as NIO ET7 and Xpeng G9, which will be delivered in 2022 also install this chip.
After the debut of the new autonomous system, Wang Haojun, COO of Pony.ai publicized the company’s goals saying that it will drive its business to the next level. First, the company would expand the operations of Robotaxi. Besides Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the service will venture into another first-tier city—Shenzhen to accumulate more practical experience. Second, the operations of Robotaxi will continue to improve. Third, it will double down on the trillion-level smart logistics market.
Last year saw more services provided by the autonomous driving system. For Pony.ai, with Robotaxi and Robotruck as the two knockout products, its 6th Generation Autonomous Driving System will help the company win more friends and customers, giving it an upper hand since the beginning of 2022.
