Autonomous car startup Pony.ai will problem a recall for 3 automobiles following an October crash in California, in accordance with the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors and Security Administration (NHTSA).
The company mentioned on Tuesday that this was the primary recall of an automatic driving system, Reuters first reported.
“Whether or not the car is operated by a human driver or an automatic driving system, the necessity to defend roadway customers stays the identical,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Steven Cliff mentioned in an announcement. “As this primary recall of an automatic driving system underscores, NHTSA will be certain that car producers and builders prioritize security whereas they usher within the newest applied sciences.”
Toyota-backed Pony.ai had been testing its pilot fleet of 10 Hyundai Kona EVs with no human security operator in California for a number of months when certainly one of its automobiles collided with a lane divider and a avenue sign up Fremont. No different automobiles have been concerned, and nobody was injured, however the incident prompted the California Division of Motor Automobiles to droop Pony’s driverless testing allow, in addition to a proper inquiry from NHTSA.
The company advised Pony.ai it believed the software program had a security defect and requested a recall, the startup mentioned in a submitting.
The software program problem within the car that crashed was additionally present in two different Pony.ai automobiles, all three of which have been repaired, in accordance with the startup. Pony additionally mentioned it has up to date its software program code.
“This was the primary and solely time such an incident has occurred in a Pony.ai autonomous car,” a Pony.ai spokesperson advised TechCrunch, noting that the startup has accomplished greater than 6 million real-world autonomous driving miles and 305,617 miles pushed autonomously in California final yr.
Pony’s driverless allow will stay suspended till the DMV has verified that the startup has taken acceptable motion to right the deficiency that precipitated the suspension, an company spokesperson advised TechCrunch. Pony’s drivered testing allow in California stays unaffected.
Earlier this week, Pony.ai mentioned its valuation has surged to $8.5 billion after the shut of its Sequence D funding spherical. Whereas the startup hasn’t had one of the best of luck in america, because of its U.S. trucking division all however dissolving and a number of other key executives leaving to begin rival corporations, it’s steadily constructing out its trucking and robotaxi enterprise in China.
Replace: This text was up to date to incorporate an announcement from the California DMV.