WeRide has been granted permission to road test its Level 4 self-driving shuttle buses in a 60-square-kilometer automated driving demonstration zone in Beijing.
WeRide, a Chinese autonomous vehicle startup, has been granted permission to road test its Level 4 self-driving shuttle buses in a 60-square-kilometer automated driving demonstration zone in Beijing. This is the first time in Beijing that driverless shuttle buses equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving technologies have been legally tested on the road.
Level 4 autonomous driving means that the vehicles can drive themselves in most situations. According to the company, the shuttles will still be manned during testing in case of an emergency.
The Beijing municipal working office of the high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone issued its first regulatory document for autonomous short-distance passenger transport without manual controls in November, allowing driverless shuttle buses to operate in Beijing.
According to WeRide, a Chinese autonomous vehicle startup, the driverless shuttle buses, which have no steering wheel, brakes, or driver’s compartment and are front-mounted, have built-in safety redundancies.
The buses are powered by electricity and have a top speed of 40 kilometres per hour. According to the company, they are outfitted with laser radar, high-definition cameras, millimeter-wave radar, and other sensors that allow for precise detection and recognition of road conditions in any weather.
WeRide is a Chinese company that specializes in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology. The company was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Guangzhou, China. WeRide’s technology includes self-driving cars, as well as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for conventional vehicles.
The company has partnerships with several major automakers and is working on developing autonomous ride-hailing services in China.
The driverless shuttle buses were purpose-built to meet the requirements of an autonomous, driverless vehicle while also optimising navigation and safety features.
Driverless shuttle buses, which lack a steering wheel and pedals, rely on effective guidance and detection systems that combine various advanced technology types.