Autonomous driving tests get underway in the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Wuhan) Test and Demonstration Zone, located in WHDZ. [Photo provided to en.whkfq.gov.cn]
Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, or WHDZ, in Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province, plans to push forward intelligent vehicle infrastructure cooperation innovation, after the city was approved as a pilot area for such efforts by the Ministry of Transport.
On May 6, six cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, and Wuxi – were listed among the first group 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 efforts for the coordinated development of Wuhan's smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles are 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.
A 125-kilometer test road for intelligent road network vehicle demonstrations and applications has been completed in the zone, offering full 5G coverage. Combined with the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, the demonstration zone has become one of the most advanced V2X vehicle-road collaborative test areas in China.
With a total investment of 4 billion yuan ($620 million) and a planned land area of some 1,312 mu (87.47 hectares), a closed test site for intelligent networked vehicles in Wuhan is also under construction and is expected to be put into trial operation by the end of this year.
In June, the development zone, together with Dongfeng Motor Corporation and China Information and Communication Technology Group, established the Wuhan Intelligent Networked Automobile Industry Innovation Alliance to build a leading intelligent networked industry system and development model.
