Hong Kong authorities will ramp up autonomous vehicle (AV) tests and make more roads available for trials as Chinese technology company Baidu prepared 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, showing a seven-minute driverless route that required manual takeover after it 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 on Monday that 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 and mature, we will consider launching full remote control testing to realise unmanned operations,” he said.
