Pony.ai revealed its next-gen Robotaxi from Luminar with LIDAR

Pony.ai’s next-generation Robotaxi is distinctive because it appears that the cone-shaped LIDR sensor is engraved on the roof which is typical for most autonomous vehicles. That’s because the startup, based in Silicon Valley and Guangzhou, China, is teaming up with Luminaire to use the rapidly growing LEAR company’s sleek new sensors that are more flush with the roof of the vehicle.

New vehicles with Luminar’s LIDAR sensors won’t run until 2022, but Pony.I founder and CEO James Peng said preparations were already underway for mass production of the next-gen Robotaxi. After testing the vehicle next year, Peng said it would be ready for the company’s Robotaxi customers in 2023. Pony.i currently offers limited ride-hailing to its autonomous vehicles in five markets: Fremont in Irvine and California; Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in China.

Pony also announced that it has driven more than 5 million kilometers (3.1 million miles) in an 850-km operating area and has delivered more than 250,000 roboxy rides. The startup claims to be the first company to launch an autonomous ride-hailing operation and ride a self-driving car for the general public in China.

The company was recently approved to test its fully autonomous vehicles on public roads in California, without safety drivers behind the wheel. Peng said Pony was currently seeking approval to include those vehicles in its Robotaxi service in California. “We’re really in the final stages of getting approval for passengers,” he said.

LIDAR, the laser sensor that sends millions of laser points per second and measures how long it takes them to bounce back, is seen as an important component for autonomous driving. Peng said Pony will use four of Luminar’s iris sensors, two on the roof and two on each side of the vehicle, “to create a very high-resolution LIDAR image for autonomous driving vehicles”.

Luminaire states that its iris LIDAR has a maximum range of 500 meters (1,640 ft), with a 250-meter range reflecting less than 10 percent. Luminaire’s sensors are also distinct from most other LIDAR sensors, which were once famously described as “Kentucky Fried Chicken Bucket Spinning”. In contrast, the iris is only 10 cm long. Austin Russell, the founder and CEO of Luminar, described it as a “slim form factor” that is radically integrated into vehicle design. “

Pony.ai was valued at $ 3 billion after a $ 400 million investment from Toyota last year. Luminar, which is based in Florida, went public last year through a reverse acquisition merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC. That merger cost the company approximately $ 2.9 billion, which was “vested in projected pro form enterprise value”, with an equity value of $ 3.4 billion at the closing. In addition to Pony, Luminar is also working with Airbus, Volvo, Audi and Toyota Research Institute.