Autonomous vehicle start-up Pony.ai lost its driverless test permit in California last year after one of the cars in its test fleet was involved in a single-vehicle accident.
The accident occurred on October 28, 2021 with Pony.ai reporting it to authorities on November 12, 2021.
That gap between when the accident took place and when it was reported could land the company in some hot water.
According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on March 24, the company is being investigated “with respect to both the timeliness and accuracy of its reports regarding the Oct. 28, 2021 crash.”
The regulations state that a company must report an accident within 24 hours of being notified that one occurred when it involves “injuries, air bag deployment or a vehicle being towed away.”
In a statement, Pony.ai says they made a good-faith effort to comply with the requirements and have been cooperating with the NHTSA. (via ABC News)
They did not clarify if the air bags were deployed or if the car was towed away. Since the vehicle was being operated without a driver, there were no injuries.
Despite the setback, Pony.ai recently completed a Series D funding round, giving it a valuation of more than $8.5 billion.
You can read the full notice below.
INOA-AQ22001-9345
