Autonomous driving in China Driverless robotaxis are conquering Beijing's ring roads

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SIMTOS (Seoul International Machine Tool Show)

Robotaxis with empty driver's seats are now allowed to operate on the urban highways in the Beijing area. The company Pony.ai announced on January 14 that it had received such an extended test license for several heavily trafficked routes.

Among other things, there will soon be autonomous taxis from this provider on the route from the Yizhuang industrial area to the new Daxing airport and on the ring roads near Beijing South Railway Station, company spokespeople said. A supervisor will still have to ride in the passenger seat who can intervene if necessary, but for the first time, no one will have to sit at the wheel when the cars, based on the Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX models, travel to Beijing's heavily used transport hubs.

The Chinese capital is continuing an approval policy that has already made it one of the local pioneers of autonomous driving in the People's Republic in recent years. Since 2020, there have been test zones spanning an area of 600 square kilometers (148263 acre) for autonomous and connected vehicles, including in the pristine and modern district of Yizhuang, where many technology companies are located. Now, in another milestone, the city's highways are also becoming public robotaxi zones with empty driver's seats. They are allowed to operate on different road sections at various times of day and night, enabling the testing of all scenarios from morning rush hour to nighttime traffic.

Framework for autonomous driving

On December 31, 2024, Beijing also published a comprehensive set of regulations, the new "Beijing Autonomous Vehicle Regulations," which enable and promote autonomous driving for private cars, city buses, taxis, and urban commercial vehicles. When the new rules come into effect on April 1 of this year, manufacturers will be able to apply for test licenses on Beijing's roads in all these segments—from autonomy level 3 to fully driverless driving.

As can be clearly seen from the various paragraphs of the new regulations, Beijing not only wants to be at the forefront of using autonomous vehicles in both domestic and global comparisons, but also aims to increasingly locate research and development of related technologies in the industrial areas on its outskirts. Already, the Chinese capital is home to three leading Chinese companies in the field of autonomous driving. In addition to Pony.ai, which went public in the US last November, the internet and AI company Baidu and Neolix also have their headquarters in Beijing.

Infrastructure and management of road traffic

In addition to incentives for innovations in the field of autonomous driving and the development of necessary technologies, the new regulations in the Chinese capital also address the planning and construction of the required urban infrastructure, the specific management of road traffic, and safety issues. Insurance companies are encouraged to develop suitable products for users.

The city of Wuhan also released new regulations on autonomous and connected driving at the turn of the year. Apollo Go, a subsidiary of Baidu, already has a fleet of nearly 1,000 robotaxis in operation there. The capital of Hubei province, which is home to many traditional auto manufacturers, does not want to leave the development of this new future technology to Beijing alone but aims to become a leading location for autonomous and connected driving itself.

Together, the new regulatory frameworks in Beijing and Wuhan can be understood as signals "for China's enthusiasm in promoting technologies for autonomous driving," said Zhang Li, a professor at the prestigious University of Science and Law in Beijing, to reporters.

Basis for robotaxi test zones

And these signals are being clearly heard throughout the People's Republic. More than 50 Chinese cities have already developed local regulations that lay the foundation for test zones for robotaxis. However, the new regulatory framework in Beijing goes beyond this by preparing for the deployment of autonomous vehicles of all kinds not only in pilot areas but also in wide parts of the city.

It is evident that the phase of commercialization for autonomous driving in China is currently being initiated in a targeted and gradual manner. The People's Republic is expected to become the world's largest market for such vehicles and corresponding mobility services by 2030, with a total value of more than 500 billion US dollars, according to the consulting agency McKinsey. (se)

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