Self-Driving Cars: Road tests start in Xiong'an New Area

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02:05

In Xiong'an, road tests are underway for autonomous vehicles. Our reporter Ning Hong takes us for a ride in the new city, south of Beijing.

Another move in building a future city. Self-driving cars are being tested in traffic on real roads in Xiong'an New Area. The first group of these modified vehicles are from China's open source platform Apollo, led by Chinese search engine company Baidu.

SHANG GUOBIN INTELLIGENT DRIVING GROUP, BAIDU "We have a big turn ahead. It is quite challenging. The car is slowing down first. The speed now is at 10 kilometers an hour. And we are turning a 90-degree turn."

NING HONG XIONG'AN NEW AREA "Inside the car, it felt smooth, whether it was going forward, braking, or turning. Almost like a human being was behind the wheel. But this car is designed for level four auto driving technology, which is a high requirement for smart vehicles. These tests were done in ideal traffic situations, so this is just the beginning."

Aided by laser radar and many cameras and sensors, the vehicle is reading the environment, and responding properly.

The testing takes place inside the citizen service center, a newly-built complex for companies that have moved to the city. A driver is sitting behind the wheel, ready to take over at any time, a precaution for any malfunctions that may occur.

Xiong'an is striving to build a city of the future, and a home of innovative technology companies. Starting from scratch, city planners are introducing more innovative solutions in technology, attracting more companies to set up branches here.

SHANG GUOBIN INTELLIGENT DRIVING GROUP, BAIDU "The city planning has adopted many designs for self-driving technology. For example, Vehicle to Everything, and 5G in basic infrastructure could help us to develop a new line of technology."

So far over a hundred companies have participated in this open source platform of self-driving. Testing here will go on routinely as more companies join the effort. Ning Hong, CGTN, Xiongan New Area.