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Lam Ka-sing

Hong Kong will ramp up autonomous vehicle (AV) tests and make more roads available for trials, authorities have said, as Chinese technology company Baidu prepares to transition its robotaxis to fully remote-controlled operations in the city.
Baidu on Monday showcased its sixth-generation AV under its Apollo Go platform on Lantau Island, on a seven-minute driverless route that required manual takeover after the vehicle exited the approved geo-fenced zone.
Derek Chung Cheuk-ming, chief electrical and mechanical engineer for autonomous driving and bus technology at the Transport Department, said the government had issued seven pilot licences involving 63 autonomous vehicles as of June this year.
“While ensuring safety, the government will gradually advance the testing of autonomous vehicles with remote operations, and through expanding the scale and road segments in phases, gradually realise driverless testing and application,” he said.
Chung added that the approved speed limit for the vehicles was increased to 50km/h (31mph), with cumulative testing mileage exceeding 240,000km (149,129 miles).
“The Transport Department has been closely monitoring the performance of the project’s testing on the airport island, and when indicators such as safety, stability, accuracy and smoothness are satisfactory, we will consider launching full remote control testing to realise unmanned operations,” he said.

The pilot project has expanded from a single autonomous vehicle to a fleet of 20 operating simultaneously, with testing routes stretching across seven areas, including northern Lantau Island, Kowloon East, Kowloon West and Hong Kong Island South.
Iris Wong Man-hei, senior project and business development manager for the intelligent driving group at Baidu, said the company had introduced remote backup operators in a control centre in February to manage vehicles alongside the on-board backup operator.
“Whether it is our on-board operator or remote controller, if they spot emergency situations or temporary construction works, they can take over the vehicle at any time to ensure safety,” she said.
During a test ride with a South China Morning Post reporter, the operator initially kept his hands off the car’s steering wheel, but switched to driving it manually once it exited the approved route, a takeover process that Wong said was required under current licence regulations.
The operator asked the reporter to fasten his seat belt before embarking on the ride.
Wong pointed out that current regulations dictated that passengers could only sit in the back seats, with a maximum of two allowed per vehicle.
Earlier this year, a major system malfunction in Wuhan caused around 100 Baidu robotaxis to stop abruptly on the road, creating widespread traffic disruptions. Local executives declined to comment on the incident.
Asked about that system failure, Wong on Monday also declined to comment, saying only that the timetable for making commercial rides available to the public remained unconfirmed.
“Regarding commercialisation, we currently do not have relevant information,” she said.


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News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Economy

Transport

Government says seven pilot licences for 63 vehicles issued as of June, as Chinese tech firm Baidu tests sixth-generation robotaxi in Lantau


Government says seven pilot licences for 63 vehicles issued as of June, as Chinese tech firm Baidu tests sixth-generation robotaxi in Lantau.


Baidu

Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles

China

Hong Kong ramps up autonomous vehicle tests as Baidu expands trials in city

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Government says seven pilot licences for 63 vehicles issued as of June, as Chinese tech firm Baidu tests sixth-generation robotaxi in Lantau

Government says seven pilot licences for 63 vehicles issued as of June, as Chinese tech firm Baidu tests sixth-generation robotaxi in Lantau