No Sleep, Just Self-Driving: Pony.ai's Robotaxis Now Running 24/7 in China’s Biggest Cities
- Dario Deserranno
- 6 août
- 2 min de lecture
If you've ever tried to grab a ride after midnight in a major city, you know the struggle: empty streets, fewer options, and long waits. Pony.ai wants to change that. The autonomous driving startup has just kicked off 24/7 robotaxi testing in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, extending well beyond its previous 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. schedule. This round-the-clock testing isn't just a tech flex, it's a direct response to a real gap in urban mobility: late-night and early-morning transport.
Why It Matters
Between midnight and dawn, most cities hit pause. Public transport thins out, ride-hailing availability drops, and getting home can feel like a logistical puzzle. According to Pony.ai, public transportation capacity during these hours falls below 30% of daytime levels. Their 24/7 robotaxi testing aims to fill that gap and prove that autonomy can keep cities moving even when everything else slows down.
A Big Step for Autonomy and Cities
This expansion signals something bigger: autonomous tech is maturing. Testing in the dead of night, when lighting conditions are trickier and traffic patterns shift, shows confidence in both the hardware and the AI. It's not just about getting from point A to B, it's about making self-driving cars reliable at any hour, under any condition.
And Pony.ai’s got the receipts. The company has logged over 50 million kilometers in autonomous driving tests worldwide in all kinds of traffic, lighting, and weather scenarios.
Next-Gen Robotaxis Are Already Rolling
Pony.ai isn’t just testing more often it's testing smarter. The company’s seventh-generation autonomous system is now in mass production and road testing. It took two years to develop, uses only automotive-grade components, and boasts a 70% cost reduction over the previous version. That’s a game-changer for scalability.
With costs dropping and performance improving, Pony.ai has ambitious plans: a fleet of over 1,000 robotaxis by the end of the year.
The Bottom Line
Robotaxis aren’t just coming they’re coming fast, at all hours, and at scale. By pushing into 24/7 operations, Pony.ai is addressing a real urban mobility problem while showcasing how far autonomous vehicle tech has come. Night owls, shift workers, and insomniacs: your ride home might soon be fully driverless.
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