Chinese self-driving taxi operator Hunan Apollo Intelligent Transportation has received a permit from Changsha regulators for unmanned testing of smart internet connected vehicles without any safety officer, becoming the first company in China to receive such a permit.
This means that Hunan Apollo's self-driving fleet deployed in Changsha can conduct fully driverless road tests on the open roads of Changsha.
Hunan Apollo was founded by Changsha Pilot Investment Holdings Group, Hunan Xiangjiang Intelligent Science and Technology Innovation Center Co, Ltd. and Baidu in April 2019.
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Changsha had previously established a partnership with Baidu Apollo in 2018.
Changsha also simultaneously released regulatory documents related to automated driving without test drivers and issued 30 trial operating licenses to Hunan Apollo.
Currently, Apollo has been driven in 27 cities and has carried out more than 6 million kilometers of tests, safely carrying more than 100,000 passengers.
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