By Kate Yuan

Qionghai City in China’s southernmost Hainan Province has put into trial operation an IoV (Internet of Vehicles) project with full 5G coverage for automatic driving on April 13 on its Dongyu Island. The project covers some 17 kilometers long from its airport to a major hotel and bridge, according to Hainan Industry and Information Technology Bureau (HIITB).

Source: Hainan Industry and Information Technology Bureau

Four smart signposts and one command center have been built for the road, and the vehicle-road collaborative system based on 5G makes digital twin control available. Four self-driving taxis, four self-driving minibusses, two driverless sweepers, and two driverless automatic vending vehicles have been put on the road. It runs 13 kilometers from Boao Airport to Peilan Bridge and another 4-kilometer line from Peilan Bridge to Golden Coast Hotel.

The applications of 5G, AI, and radar will greatly promote autonomous driving as a way to tackle the increasingly serious traffic problems. But due to extremely high requirements for the safe performance of autonomous driving and very complex traffic conditions, rigorous road testing and verification should be implemented to make autonomous driving truly safe and reliable, HIITB officials said.