Waymo’s Chinese competitor Pony.ai is pacing itself in driverless cars

Dave Zhong/Getty Images for CNBC International

Hu Wen, COO of poni.ai, speaks during Fireside Chat on Day 1 of CNBC East Tech West at LN Garden Hotel Nansha Guangzhou on November 27, 2018 in Nansha, Guangzhou, China.

Chinese start-up Pony.ai is trying to take on Google’s Waymo by taking a measured approach toward autonomous-vehicle technology.

Speaking at CNBC’s East Tech West conference in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, China, Pony.ai Chief Operating Officer Hu Wen said companies should not “hurry” to win the race for self-driving cars amid safety concerns.

“You have to ensure the whole safety system is there and you have to pace yourself,” he told CNBC’s Everett Rosenfeld Tuesday.

Pony.ai is a self-driving vehicle start-up with offices in China and Silicon Valley. In February, the company secured approval to offer autonomous car rides to members of the public within a 1.7 mile-route in Guangzhou. Hu said Pony.ai is gradually building up its vehicle fleet with nearly 50 self-driving cars offering ride-hailing services in the district.

China’s autonomous vehicle market is racing to keep up with the U.S. industry which includes big players like General Motors and Google parent company Alphabet. Last month, Alphabet’s driverless vehicle unit Waymo became the first company to secure approval to test driverless cars on public roads in California.

“Google is definitely still the world’s number one in autonomous driving,” Hu said.