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From Gen-4 heavy-duty trucks to L4 urban delivery vehicles, shared technology, automotive-grade production and industry partnerships are shaping the next phase of Pony.ai’s autonomous freight business
At a media briefing on August 3, He Xing, Vice President of Pony.ai and Head of the company’s Robotruck business, discussed how nearly a decade of technology development in L4 autonomous driving is beginning to support broader commercial deployment in freight transportation.
Over the next two to three years, Pony.ai expects 500 to 1,000 Gen-4 autonomous heavy-duty trucks to be deployed across three primary scenarios in China: long-haul freight, bulk commodity transportation and port logistics. Pony.ai also expects light-duty trucks to scale faster, with a longer-term goal of reaching 100,000 L4 autonomous light-duty trucks by 2030.
The targets reflect several developments coming together: a more mature autonomous driving system, lower hardware costs, automotive-grade redundant vehicle platforms and deeper collaboration with vehicle manufacturers and logistics operators.
