An "apollo" minibus pictured at Longlingshan Park in Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei province, on Dec 14 [Photo by Zhang Min/WeChat account of WHDZ]
An unmanned minibus named "apollo" started trial operations at Longlingshan Park in Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone (WHDZ), Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Dec 14.
It represents the country's first commercial demonstration operation project for unmanned vehicles.
Measuring around 5 meters long and 2 meters wide, with eight seats distributed around the body, the minibus was developed and manufactured by Chinese internet giant Baidu and Xiamen King Long Motor Group, with fully automatic driving capability.
It has no driver's seat, steering wheel, or accelerator. But at present, each vehicle will have a safety officer on board to take over in the event of an emergency.
According to Yang Chao, leader of the minibus project, the response time of the bus is within 1 nanosecond –– faster than the human brain.
The minibus runs between two stations –– from the east gate of Longlingshan Park to the west gate, representing a distance of 4.6 kilometers and travelling at speeds of around 15 kilometers per hour.
People can try the new minibus free of charge before January 2019, but only from 10:00 to 16:30 at weekends and holidays. They can access the service via a mobile phone app.
Wuhan is currently developing the automatic driving and next-generation automobile industry, with the sixth national intelligent network connected vehicle demonstration zone under construction in WHDZ.
The launch of the minibus in WHDZ is expected to help the zone attract more projects and professionals to its automobile sector.
A group of sanitation workers rides the new minibus in Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dec 14. [Photo/Changjiang Daily]
The seat and controller for the onboard safety officer [Photo/Changjiang Daily]
