Autonomous Vehicle News
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Thursday his agency has national security concerns about Chinese autonomous vehicle companies in the American market after some lawmakers called for restrictions on their operations. The lawmakers were particularly concerned about AV vehicle and equipment testing in the United States. Their letter cites data from California regulators showing seven Chinese firms, including Baidu’s Apollo and robotaxi startup Pony.ai, tested autonomous vehicles in the most-populous U.S. state last year. The autonomous vehicle industry in the U.S. has been late delivering on promises of commercializing cars that drive themselves. Many AV companies have cut costs and jobs with some such as Ford and Volkswagen -backed Argo AI shutting shop.