Shanghai designates downtown open road for self-driving vehicles testing

A technician accompanies a backup driver to record data during a test run of an autonomous vehicle in Shanghai on June 27, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

Shanghai announced on Saturday to allow road testing of self-driving vehicles on a 30.6-km downtown open road in the city's Pudong New Area.

This is the first open road for self-driving vehicle testing in downtown area of a megacity in China. Shanghai had previously designated several open test roads in Jiading, Lingang and Fengxian areas in the suburbs.

According to the Jinqiao administration bureau of the Shanghai pilot free trade zone in Pudong, smart roads will be built in the future for coordinated testing of roads and self-driving vehicles.

Yang Ye, director of the bureau, said that in the future, the Jinqiao area will promote the opening of all roads for self-driving vehicles.

Jinqiao, home to SAIC-GM, is a high land of the automotive industry. It also hosts Shanghai's first 5G industrial park for the 5G commercialization including developing self-driving vehicles.