Fire Incident Raises Safety Concerns Over Autonomous Vehicles in China

Pony.ai's autonomous vehicle caught fire after a system malfunction, sparking safety concerns about autonomous driving in China. No passengers were aboard, and no one was injured. The cause is under investigation. This incident follows recent Chinese regulatory actions tightening marketing of autonomous driving features.

A Pony.ai autonomous vehicle ignited during a service operation after its system malfunctioned, the company announced Wednesday. Fortunately, there were no passengers in the vehicle at the time, and no injuries were reported.

The car, which was unmanned on the road Tuesday morning, displayed an 'abnormal status,' triggering an emergency stop before catching fire during handling by service staff. This incident could exacerbate safety concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles in China, especially following a fatal autopilot accident in a Xiaomi vehicle.

A video surfaced showing smoke from the incident in Beijing, and Qingdao officials disclosed the fire started from engine ignition during a restart. Pony.ai and Toyota have not yet commented further. China's regulatory bodies have been scrutinizing autonomous vehicles more closely amid safety debates globally.

(With inputs from agencies.)