Guangzhou develops autonomous driving regulations

The Guangzhou People’s Congress has drafted legislation to further expand autonomous taxis and buses in the Guangdong provincial capital, a move that aims to support the development of intelligent transportation in the future.

According to the Draft Regulation on the Innovative Development of Smart Connected Vehicles in Guangzhou, the city will promote the use of such vehicles in transportation hubs including airports, ports and highways, as well as urban public transport, taxis and related tourism services in the coming years.

Legislators are seeking public feedback on the project to support the development of autonomous driving in the southern metropolis, a transport hub on mainland China.

Meanwhile, under the draft regulation, Guangzhou will gradually open more roads for combined traffic of autonomous and human-driven vehicles.

“This will not only help improve transportation efficiency and service quality, but also lay the foundation for the commercialization and popularization of smart connected vehicles in the city,” reads the draft regulation, which was published on the official website of the Guangzhou People’s Congress on Thursday.

On safety and liability, the draft regulation clarifies the safety standards and liability mechanism for intelligent connected vehicles, requiring relevant companies to ensure the safe operation of vehicles and conduct timely technical analyses and accident investigations.

In addition, the issue of data management was put on the agenda, with companies asked to continuously and completely record and store vehicle operation data in order to analyse accidents and determine liability when necessary.

In terms of infrastructure, the draft regulation envisages the planning and construction of an integrated vehicle, highway and cloud infrastructure, including intelligent roadside devices, service management platforms, communication networks and map management, which are key to supporting the efficient operation of intelligent connected vehicles.

The draft regulations encourage enterprises, universities and research institutions to conduct research and innovation in key technologies such as automotive-grade integrated circuits, intelligent sensors and autonomous driving algorithms, strengthening intellectual property rights protection in the field of intelligent connected vehicles, as technological research and innovation is the driving force behind industry development.

Guangzhou, known as the country’s southern gateway, is expected to become the first city to introduce a law supporting the autonomous vehicle industry in Guangdong province once the draft regulation becomes local law.

Li Xiaojun, Party Secretary and President of Guangzhou Public Transport Group Co. Ltd, said his company is actively exploring new paths of transformation and upgrading, and the draft regulation will help public transport enterprises further accelerate the development of the autonomous vehicle industry.

Li said his company will seize the opportunities of public transportation and electrification to begin applying for new electric vehicle licenses and building and operating charging stations. It will explore the multi-format new energy transportation industry, including charging, energy storage and battery use, and will build a comprehensive energy solution that takes into account the specifics of Guangzhou’s public transportation in the coming months.

Guangzhou already has autonomous buses and taxis, with 50 buses currently in service, according to official statistics. The city has opened 10 autonomous bus routes in Huangpu and Haizhu districts.

The city of more than 17 million people will see more autonomous vehicles and more autonomous bus routes will be opened.

Meanwhile, Baidu’s Apollo Go robot taxis were officially put into service in Guangzhou last month, after the company began operations in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei province.

Guangzhou, at the forefront of China’s reform and opening-up, is where autonomous vehicles are being intensively tested.

The city government said it has opened 827 autonomous driving test roads, including the entire Nansha Port Expressway and the first stage of the Conghua-Huangpu Expressway, which is about 1,666 kilometers long one way, covering six administrative regions and providing a wide range of test scenarios for autonomous vehicles.