The global autonomous vehicle industry is heating up with a blockbuster NASDAQ IPO by Chinese AV company Pony AI and evidence Tesla is preparing to satisfy US state rules with remote teleoperators for their Robo taxis.
Pony AI is the latest autonomous vehicle startup to win over investors as it raised $260m through its NASDAQ IPO and a further $153m in private placements to fund the expansion of its autonomous taxis in major Chinese cities.
The company has developed technology that can be installed into vehicles to make them autonomous. It has three defined markets: robotaxis, robotrucks, and personal vehicles.
The Pony AI IPO follows a Waymo private funding round and the $440m WeRide IPO, demonstrating continued strong investor demand for autonomous vehicle startups.
With the rollout of autonomous vehicles accelerating globally, Tesla has recently posted a job advert offering insight into what the rollout of autonomous vehicles in the US may look like.
The Tesla job advert seeks software engineers to develop Tesla’s teleoperations team, which will have direct access to control the firm’s robotaxis and robots.
Tesla’s job advert reads:
“Tesla AI’s Teleoperation team is charged with providing remote access to our robotaxis and humanoid robots. Our cars and robots operate autonomously in challenging environments. As we iterate on the AI that powers them, we need the ability to access and control them remotely.”
Many US states require by law that autonomous vehicles have the capability to be remotely controlled by a teleoperator who can intervene and take over control of a vehicle should it get into difficulties. There are also requirements for two-way communication between passengers and remote teleoperators.
The job advert posted by Telsa suggests that Elon Musk is preparing the required teleoperation technology to adhere to state rules as part of a nationwide rollout of Robotaxis.
The developments are encouraging for AIM-listed Tekcapital portfolio company Guident. Guident has already deployed sophisticated teleoperations Remote Control and Monitoring Centres with capabilities to monitor and control a wide range of autonomous vehicles, including buses, shuttles and surveillance robots.
Tekcapital, which owns around 90% of Guident, has recently announced that Guident will seek an IPO in 2025.