The Tianjin municipal government says that it has conducted successful testing of a locally developed driverless vehicle on a stretch of freeway within the jurisdiction.
The Tianjin transportation commission said that the autonomous vehicle developed by a local smart car firm had been successfully tested on a stretch of the Tanglang highway (唐廊高速天津段).
According to the commission the next step will be to push for more innovative research into driverless vehicles, as well as the construction of specialist testing sites, the research and development of technical benchmarks, and the organisation of automobile sector enterprises.
The Tianjin government will also “accelerate technical research and development as well as applications, develop high-level smart connected vehicle technology, and create a more convenient and high-efficiency transportation environment.”
Smart vehicles have emerged as a key focus of China’s automobile sector policy, with the National Development and Reform Commission setting the target that they account for 50% of all new vehicles by 2020.
