Autonomous drive technology company Pony.ai announced its fourth-generation (Gen-4) autonomous truck lineup, jointly developed with manufacturing partners including SANY Truck and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor.
The Gen-4 Autonomous Trucks system features a modular design with strong vehicle adaptability. The first two models will be built on SANY Truck’s and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor’s most advanced battery-electric vehicle platforms.
These models are designed for mass production at the thousand-unit scale, with initial fleet deployment expected in 2026. Mass production of Gen-4 Autonomous Trucks will accelerate the advancement of autonomous trucking technology and real-world implementation, enabling the transformative leap toward large-scale commercial driverless operations in the trucking industry.
The Gen-4 Autonomous Trucks kit will utilize 100% automotive-grade components, reducing the bill-of-materials cost per vehicle by approximately 70% compared to the previous generation, by leveraging the majority of components from the latest-generation Robotaxi solution. Upon deployment, the Gen-4 Autonomous Trucks are expected to significantly lower costs and increase efficiency in freight logistics.
For example, the “1+4” platooning solution, where one lead truck is human-driven followed by four driverless trucks, is projected to reduce freight cost per kilometer by 29% and increase profit margin by 195% compared to traditional freight, based on current trial scenarios.
By adopting the fully redundant design and safety standards utilized in the Company’s latest generation Robotaxis, the Gen-4 Autonomous Trucks will elevate the safety and reliability of autonomous freight transport to a new level. The system is designed for a service life of 20,000 hours, supporting up to 1 million kilometers of freight operation. It will be equipped with a fully redundant drive-by-wire chassis, featuring comprehensive redundancy across six key systems — steering, braking, communication, power supply, computing, and sensors — ensuring safe operation under various conditions.
The Gen-4 Autonomous Trucks will also undergo rigorous testing, including electromagnetic compatibility, reliability, high-temperature, and extreme-cold tests, to handle complex road conditions and harsh weather commonly encountered in freight scenarios, further enhancing safety.
China, the world’s largest long-haul trucking market, is accelerating its transition toward intelligent logistics. Since entering the autonomous trucking market in 2018, the Company has expanded its fleet to around 200 trucks, accumulated over 1 billion ton-kilometers of freight transport, and secured the first or among the first autonomous truck road test permits and freight transport operation licenses in multiple regions across China.
[source: PONY.AI]
