FRENCH carmaker Renault and local partners have opened China’s first experimentation zone for self-driving cars in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province.
An electric autonomous driving car by Renault will operate on a 2-kilometer-long lakeside road in the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City in Wuhan, starting last weekend.
Visitors will be allowed to test and experience the autonomous vehicle in the zone, which was jointly built by the Renault Group, its Sino-French joint venture Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company and Wuhan Caidian Ecological Development Group.
According to the carmaker, autonomous systems can make car travel safer, less stressful and more enjoyable by making decisions in tedious conditions, such as congested traffic.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed between the three parties, Renault provides construction standards for demonstration sites and vehicles equipped with autonomous driving technology, while DRAC is responsible for vehicle maintenance and technical support.
Renault plans to gradually launch this “eyes off” technology on its core range of vehicles by 2020.
