Chinese Autonomous Vehicles See Reduced Testing in California

Mileage for Chinese autonomous test vehicles in California drops by 70% in a year, amid regulatory and market reassessments.

Despite the presence of autonomous test vehicles from Chinese companies on California’s roads, recent data indicates a significant decrease in their mileage last year compared to 2022.

In 2023, Chinese firms such as Pony.ai, WeRide, Baidu, AutoX, and Didi Global accumulated roughly 124,000 miles (~200,000 km) of testing in California, marking a 70% decline from the previous year. Among these, only WeRide is authorized to conduct tests without a safety driver. Notably, Pony.ai saw an 82% reduction in miles, while AutoX and Didi experienced declines of 84% and 90%, respectively.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles reports that AutoX utilized just 13 out of its 44 registered autonomous vehicles in 2023, with many covering less than 10 miles (16 km) each. Only three AutoX vehicles exceeded 100 miles (160 km), with one reaching 337 miles (542 km), another 3,624 miles (5,832 km), and a third 3,768 miles (6,064 km). In contrast, WeRide’s smaller fleet of 14 vehicles managed over 42,000 miles (67,592 km) combined.

Notably, Didi Research America exited California’s testing program last month for reasons not disclosed. After covering around 37,200 miles (~60,000 km) in 2022, Didi was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange amid growing scrutiny over Chinese tech firms.

The testing of self-driving vehicles by Chinese companies in the U.S. has raised concerns among several American lawmakers. In November, a bipartisan group of legislators questioned 10 Chinese-affiliated companies about the data they collect during their tests in California and other states.

AlixPartners industry analyst Himanshu Khandelwal suggests that regulatory challenges and the distant commercial viability of fully autonomous vehicles might be causing Chinese firms to reconsider their investments. He points out that while Chinese automakers are finding success with electric vehicles in Europe, U.S. and European automakers are scaling back their autonomous driving efforts, leading to a shift in investment strategies among Chinese OEMs.