Autonomous-Driving Startup Pony.ai Takes On Last-Mile Delivery

With autonomous-vehicle companies parked by Covid-19, Pony.ai has teamed up with Los Angeles-based e-commerce site Yamibuy to deliver packages and groceries in the city of Irvine. Yamibuy specializes in Asian foods and home goods. The partnership is meant to help meet the surge in delivery demand, as consumers across the U.S. and around the world have been forced to stay at home.

Pony.ai, a Fremont, California-based startup, will deploy its fleet of 10 modified Hyundai Kona battery-electric cars with a safety driver in every one. The contactless and autonomous deliveries will go directly to customers’ doorsteps, with Yamibuy automatically assigning orders from its platform to Pony.ai vehicles in Irvine. Packages then will be collected from a local distribution center, driven to a customer’s address and left on the doorstep by the safety driver—or a customer can choose to collect a package from the trunk of the car.