Chinese city completes 5G autopilot bus driving test

JINAN - An autopilot bus has finished its road test in a 5G network environment in the city of Jinan, eastern China's Shandong province.

The autopilot bus, developed by China's leading truck maker Sinotruck, underwent the test on a 4.8 km road. The intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) testing road, featuring 5G network service, was officially opened to road tests on Tuesday.

Tian Lei, an official with Sinotruck, said the autopilot bus has a combination of autopilot driving, internet of vehicles, platform supervision, safety control and autonomous door operating and parking systems.

The bus is equipped with facilities such as laser radar, a high-definition camera, integrated navigation and positioning, and can run smoothly at night or in fog and rain.

According to Jinan economy and information technology commission, the city issued an ICV road testing regulation last year and build the 5G ICV testing area for autopilot cars based on sections of several roads.

The testing area, with seven 5G base stations, is wholly covered by the high-performance 5G network. The network can help driverless cars detect traffic lights at a distance of one to two kilometers.

The city eyes to build itself into a leading testing base for intelligent commercial cars and further expand the variety of testing roads, such as expressways.