James Peng: When Autonomous Driving Became Real | EDGE 2026
EDGE 2026 Beyond The Stage
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14-May-2026
In this EDGE - Beyond The Stage 1:1, James Peng shares the moment autonomous driving stopped being science fiction: a fully driverless ride on public roads in Beijing, “with snowing outside.” He breaks down what it takes to scale autonomy beyond the tech itself - regulation, user adoption, and cost - and highlights a key misconception leaders often miss: replacing the driver still leaves cleaning, charging, and maintenance. He also explains how trust is built across countries through local solutions, local partnerships, and data privacy.
Takeaways:
• regulation to allow fully driverless” was the unlock that made autonomy commercially real.
• Scaling is not one problem: “regulatory”, “user adoption”, and “cost” all matter.
• Trust requires local solutions and “data resides locally” with privacy and security respected.
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