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Chinese self-driving car company WeRide has received a license to test its robot bus in Singapore as part of an ambitious expansion plan to bring driverless buses to major cities around the world.
As cities look to automate their transportation systems, Chinese autonomous vehicle (AV) companies are leading the way, testing vehicles such as robotic buses, vans and street sweepers.
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Singapore is leading the way in self-driving cars
Singapore is one of the leading countries in driverless buses due to its small size and advanced road infrastructure. As a test circuit, the island nation even built a mini-town complete with rain equipment to simulate the tropical downpours that frequently fall on the island. Automated public transport could help overcome some of the challenges facing Singapore, the world’s most densely populated and rapidly aging country. Singapore, where a quarter of the population is expected to be over the age of 65 by 2030, hopes driverless buses will alleviate mobility issues for the elderly and help solve future bus driver shortages. ing.
Middle East competes with Singapore in driverless driving race
The Middle East is competing with Singapore in the driverless race, and WeRide is one of several Chinese AV companies looking to put robotic vehicles on the road. The United Arab Emirates, which has pledged to achieve 25% self-driving cars by 2030, announced in July that the United Arab Emirates will be using the country to test self-driving vehicles such as robo-taxi, robo-buses, robo-sweepers and robo-vans on the country’s roads. Granted first national license to WeRide. CNN reports that Saudi Arabia is introducing a self-driving bus service to transport pilgrims to and from Mecca during this year’s Hajj, while Dubai is rolling out its first wave of robotaxis to ease congestion and accidents. .
Chinese AV companies face hurdles in US over handling of sensitive data
WeRide and other Chinese AV companies have run into hurdles in the U.S. due to concerns over the collection of sensitive data. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers last month sounded the alarm about how companies collect and handle data about Americans and their daily lives, according to a letter seen by Reuters. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also cited national security concerns about the possibility of such data being shared with the Chinese government. However, one think tank expert told China Project that “self-driving cars in remote areas” are not a particularly useful intelligence tool, and there is no evidence so far of them being used for surveillance. added.