Four companies are granted the demonstrative application license for driverless intelligent connected vehicles at the seventh World Artificial Intelligence Conference. [Photo/thepaper.cn]

At the seventh World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), four leading companies, namely SAIC Motor, Baidu Zhixing Technology, AutoX, and Pony.ai, have been granted the demonstrative application license for driverless intelligent connected vehicles. This license, valid from July 4 to Jan 4, 2025, marks a significant step towards the advancement of autonomous driving technology.

Pony.ai, one of the license recipients, has announced that individuals can now book a driverless robotaxi in central Shanghai through its mobile application. Prior to receiving approval in Shanghai, Pony.ai had already obtained licenses for driverless robotaxi services in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. At the WAIC forum, Pony.ai showcased its driverless shuttle buses that operate between the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center and the InterContinental Shanghai World Expo. These busses also stop at key locations, such as the Shanghai Expo Center and the China Art Museum.

SAIC Motor, another recipient of the license, emphasized that obtaining this recognition not only validates their technological prowess but also signifies a crucial milestone in the commercialization of driverless intelligent connected vehicles. The company ventured into autonomous driving in 2021 and introduced its Robotaxi in Shanghai’s Jiading district and in Suzhou. In 2022, SAIC Motor unveiled Robotaxi 2.0 and established a presence in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area, setting up 50 autonomous driving spots covering the core areas of Lin-gang.

On July 3, five government departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Transport, jointly announced plans to establish trial zones for "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" in 20 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. This integration aims to connect intelligent vehicles with environmental perceptions and cloud-based control systems, paving the way for enhanced safety and efficiency in autonomous driving technology.

Shanghai, as the pioneering city in China to introduce policies for autonomous driving testing, has been at the forefront of this industry since 2018. The city has designated self-driving test roads in response to enterprise testing applications, creating four demonstration zones in the districts of Jiading, Fengxian, and Pudong's Lin-gang Special Area.

Currently the total mileage of such roads in Shanghai reaches over 2,000 kilometers, according to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Transport.

Source: thepaper.cn