Pony.ai driverless test car hits median and sign in Fremont

What happened

On October 28, 2021, a Pony.ai test vehicle operating in autonomous mode in Fremont, California, made a right turn and then struck a road center divider and a traffic sign. The description comes from the collision report the company filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

The company’s report said there were no injuries and no other vehicles involved. The DMV described the event as a solo collision.

The system involved

Pony.ai, a self-driving developer backed by Toyota, had received a California driverless testing permit about six months earlier, becoming the eighth company to hold one. It had 10 Hyundai Kona electric vehicles registered under that permit. The company said most of its testing was, and would continue to be, supervised by a safety driver.

Investigation and response

On November 19, 2021, the California DMV notified Pony.ai that it was suspending the company’s driverless testing permit, effective immediately, following the solo collision. CNBC reported it was the first time the regulator had issued such a suspension. The company’s separate permit for testing with a safety driver was not affected. Pony.ai said it was cooperating with the DMV.

NHTSA told Pony.ai it believed the software involved had a safety defect and asked for a recall. In March 2022 the company agreed to recall the software versions on three vehicles, which were repaired and updated. According to The Robot Report, NHTSA called it the first recall of an automated driving system. The same outlet, citing Reuters, said the crash occurred less than 2.5 seconds after the automated driving system shut down.

What is not established

The public sources opened for this entry do not describe the specific software fault. CNBC noted it was unclear which aspect of the incident prompted the DMV’s suspension.