Work on an intelligent transportation project backed by an investment of US$80m has begun in Hengyang City, Hunan province, China. Two startups, Mogo Auto Intelligence and Telemetics Information Technology, are participating in the scheme which, it is claimed, will involve the creation of an intelligent road network, incorporation of autonomous vehicles and implementation of a cloud-based smart city transportation platform.
The routes covered by the project will span some 200km, with a 38km intelligent road due to begin operation in September this year as part of the first phase of the project. Operating on the routes will be 500 self-driving vehicles, including taxis, buses and shuttles, as well as other public service vehicles including emergency services and maintenance operators.
The instigators of the project say it differs from previous efforts in China as it will involve much more complex traffic conditions. Self-driving vehicles will be deployed to real city roads involving main streets, city center areas, tunnels, flyovers and rural roads without markings. Mogo Auto says that it will provide a Smart City Transportation Brain for real-time monitoring and overall scheduling, in order to match citizens’ transportation demands efficiently.