Autonomous vehicles to carry passengers in Shanghai

Local authorities in Shanghai last week have issued licenses – the first in China – for operational tests of smart and connected cars with passengers in them, that would pave the way for commercial robotaxis in the future. The licenses were given to car-hailing ride service Didi Chuxing as well as to car manufacturer SAIC Motor and BMW that allow them to conduct autonomous driving projects in real urban scenarios in Shanghai's Jiading district, local government officials announced at last week's World Autonomous Vehicle Ecosystem Conference. Each of the three companies are permitted to run 50 vehicles for pilot programs including robotaxis, unmanned deliveries and other autonomous driving services. The license holders can increase the number of test vehicles after six months if there are no traffic violations. The city issued China's first licenses on autonomous vehicle (AV) tests to SAIC and EV maker Nio in March 2018, with only company employees allowed to ride in the vehicles during tests.