The Chinese authorities are striving to create favorable conditions for the operation of unmanned vehicles not only from a technical but also from a regulatory point of view. As Reuters reports, from April 1, rules will come into force in Beijing that will eventually allow unmanned taxis, buses and trams to be released onto the streets of the Chinese capital.
Image source: Baidu
At least, after passing the public examination, developers of such vehicles will be able to apply for road tests on public roads. Beijing municipal authorities express their readiness to promote the emergence of “smart” road infrastructure compatible with these types of vehicles.
Other megacities of the People’s Republic of China are not lagging behind; in Wuhan, for example, rules have also been adopted defining the procedure for operating vehicles constantly connected to information networks. A total of 19 cities in China are already testing driverless taxis and buses. Recently, in southern China, several municipalities took part in an experiment to operate self-driving taxis on intercity routes.
Controlled by internet giant Baidu, Apollo Go has one of the largest fleets of self-driving taxi prototypes in China and planned to roll out 1,000 automated taxis to Wuhan lines this past year. Apollo Go’s high activity in this area even caused protests from local taxi drivers who cannot compete with automation. The startup Pony.ai, which recently went public in the US, currently has only 250 prototypes of self-driving taxis in China, but by 2026 their number should at least quadruple.
Tesla, which continues to occupy one of the leading positions in the electric vehicle segment even in the face of fierce competition in the Chinese market, expects to receive permission to test its unmanned prototypes in China next quarter, and will begin producing the Cybercab robotaxi in the United States in 2026.