The autonomous driving startup Pony.ai obtained a cross-provincial demonstration application permit on Thursday from three government bodies, including the Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, marking the first time a permit of this type has been granted to self-driving heavy-duty trucks.
Pony.ai will collaborate with logistics company Sinotrans to provide autonomous highway freight services on the Beijing and Tianjin sections of the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu expressway.
The company's autonomous trucks will undergo testing on this cross-provincial highway at speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour, with a safety operator positioned in the driver's seat. Over 100 kilometers of the Beijing and Tianjin segments of the expressway have been approved for testing.
