In a first, China becomes the first country in the world to run self-driving 5G enabled electronic buses on the roads of a Chinese city.

Zhengzhou, a city in China becomes the first city to have a transport system of 5G enables electronic bus. Technology is moving ahead in every segment and direction. From high-speed internet and communication to vehicle-based on electronic engine technology with a pinch of artificial intelligent. A superb combination of three advanced segments of technology could be seen on the streets of Beijing.

Yutong Bus, a Chinese vehicle manufacturer has crafted this amazing vehicle which runs on an electric engine based technology and is a self-driven vehicle. The product named “Xiaoyu” is a level 4 autonomous vehicle. The autonomous scale determines the capability of a self-driven vehicle. It is a measure of how intelligently and smoothly a vehicle runs on the road on its own.

Vehicle Specifications

Enabled with technologies like 5G telecommunications, self-driving technology, electric engine and much more, Xiaoyu can travel 200 km on a single charge with the air conditioning on. The eight-seater mini-bus has no steering wheel and the highest speed of 20 kph, which is fine because the vehicle is currently operating in the city limits only.

Being a level 4 autonomous vehicle, Xiaoyu is programmed to run without any human intervention under certain conditions. Which means that it is capable of changing lanes, avoiding obstacles, overtake other vehicles, drive through intersections and stop at bus stations. In case of emergency, it can also apply emergency braking after studying the traffic pattern around.

Current Operation of Xiaoyu

Zhengzhou, a metropolis Chinese city situated on the banks of Yellow River. It is the capital of east-central China’s Henan province. Yutong Bus is test running its 5G enabled, self-driving vehicle on the “Intelligent Islands” in this river city.

Currently, the buses are being run under a pilot program where they circle a 1.53 km route in the city. The company aims to offer a sneak peek at its next-generation vehicle and make it popular and user-friendly for the general public.

The manufacturer has dispatched a total of four such buses under this open-road trial project on “Intelligent Island” in the city’s Longzi Lake. The buses, called Xiaoyu, are at Being a Level 4 vehicle on the autonomous scale, means it can drive without any human intervention but under certain conditions only.

China’s 5G Technology

The leading telecom companies of China, China Unicom and China Mobile have enabled the island with 5G networking technology. The technology provides highspeed networking solutions. This has enabled Yutong bus to operate the bus (being called as “vehicle to everything”) through remote monitoring capabilities. Yutong has developed highly accurate three-dimensional maps on a cloud platform. The technology enables the company to monitor the traffics and roads remotely in real-time.

Yutong’s Vision

As explained by Peng Nengling, these autonomous vehicles may be capable but of self-driving but they are not as good as human instincts. “Humans can predict moves by the vehicles around them. We know that an oncoming car will not suddenly swerve toward us before going by. But as Level 4 self-driving technology cannot do that at present, a high level of safety should be maintained,” Peng said. Peng Nengling is the Vice president of the Yutong Group’s ‘Intelligent Network Research Institute’.

Since the program is on trial, currently 2 staff members are always onboard the vehicle to provide explanations to the commuters. They impart information about how the vehicle functions on its own, what facilities it does offer and how the commuters can hit the emergency brake button if necessary.

Well, we hope that Yutong can soon improvise the autonomous scaler rating of Xiaoyu Bus so that it can work in a better and smarter manner. This will surely change the face of public transport in the coming years.