Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ) in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, has made good progress in its quest to become a "smart city" and to embrace intelligent connected vehicles (ICV), according to local media reports.
On May 6, six cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, and Wuxi - were identified as the first batch of pilot cities for the coordinated development of smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The pilot project for the coordinated development of Wuhan's smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles is primarily being carried out in WHDZ.
After more than two years of construction, the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Wuhan) Test and Demonstration Zone has begun to take shape.
With a total investment of 4 billion yuan ($628 million) and a planned area of approximately 1,312 mu (87.47 hectares), a closed test site for intelligent connected vehicles in Wuhan is also being constructed at an accelerated pace.
In terms of smart travel, WHDZ currently has 263 smart buses, five ADAS buses, 53 autonomous driving vehicles developed by Dongfeng Motor Corporation, and 41 autonomous driving vehicles operating in real time at scenic spots.
In terms of logistics and distribution, there are unmanned logistics vehicles operating at Jianghan University and Hannan Port Area. Residents can make an online reservation through the mobile app to take a ride in an autonomous driving taxi.
The next stage will see 10,000 social vehicles enter the zone equipped with intelligent networked terminals.
