Photo: AutoX
We’re beginning to enter the age of automation, and automobiles is one of the prime examples of the shift at this time. With Tesla’s Full Self-Driving beta out and a number of other driver-assistance systems being prepared to be deployed, the time for autonomous cars is quickly becoming a reality, and a new, driverless fleet has just come to light.
Completely driverless cars are now being tested in Shenzen, China, as autonomous car technology firm AutoX confirmed, according to CNBC. The so-called “robotaxi” cars make up a completely autonomous fleet, though up to this point they have still included a driver.
Alibaba-backed AutoX has rolled out driverless cars on public roads in Shenzhenhttps://t.co/YFxuPK8cyb
via @michelletoh235#china #autonomous #selfdrivingcars@SpirosMargaris @mvollmer1 @Nicochan33 @Paula_Piccard @PawlowskiMario @enricomolinari @ShiCookspic.twitter.com/oDUaIkneoa— Jeroen Bartelse (@JeroenBartelse) December 3, 2020
Over the past six months, AutoX, which is also backed by Alibaba, has been performing “stress tests” on its vehicles, in order to see how the vehicles would perform. There are currently 25 fully autonomous vehicles in Shenzen, with over 100 robotaxis (driver-controlled and driverless) being tested across Chinese cities.
AutoX’s next plan is to increase both the number of vehicles involved in testing as well as the area size of the test. Additionally, the company hopes to soon begin testing in a wider array of cities, up to 10 globally within the next six months, according to AutoX Chief Operating Officer Jewel Li.
In any case, driverless cars are one of the first fully-automated technologies we’re seeing regularly – and I bet we’ll see a wide range of improvements over the next several years.
