A self-driving test vehicle operated by Pony.ai caught fire after veering off the road in Beijing on May 13, raising renewed questions about the safety of autonomous driving technology. The robotaxi, which was undergoing routine testing, reportedly left the roadway and was later seen heavily damaged and charred by fire. Firefighters responded promptly and extinguished the blaze.
In a statement to Sina Tech, Pony.ai confirmed that the incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. The company stated that the vehicle detected an “abnormal status” during operation and immediately triggered its safety protection mechanism, coming to an emergency stop. “There were no passengers in the vehicle, no collision occurred, and no injuries were caused,” the company said. Pony.ai added that its on-site team arrived within two minutes after receiving instructions. The fire broke out during the handling process and was adequately dealt with in coordination with relevant authorities. The cause is currently under investigation.
The incident comes amid Pony.ai’s rapid expansion in the autonomous driving sector. Founded in 2016 by James Peng and Tiancheng Lou, the company specialises in Level 4 self-driving systems. It has obtained permits for robotaxi services and truck platooning trials in cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou. Earlier this year, Pony.ai announced plans to launch its seventh-generation robotaxis by late 2025, in partnership with Toyota China and GAC Toyota, aiming to deploy thousands of autonomous electric vehicles across major cities.
Pony.ai has reportedly filed for a public listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, taking advantage of a new rule allowing tech firms to submit IPO applications privately. This would follow its Nasdaq debut in November 2024, where it raised 413 million USD through public and private offerings.
As the company scales up operations, the Beijing fire incident is expected to draw scrutiny from regulators and industry observers. The event underscores the ongoing technical and safety challenges developers face as autonomous vehicles transition from controlled testing environments to widespread deployment on public roads.
Source: IT-Home
