Utopilot to start semi-driverless L4 autonomous truck trial operation

Beijing (Gasgoo)- SAIC Motor-affiliated autonomous commercial vehicle developer Utopilot announced it would put its L4 intelligent heavy-duty trucks into trial operation with fewer safety drivers onboard.

Photo credit: Utopilot

The trial operation is set on the premise of a five-vehicle platoon driving across the East Sea Bridge, transporting cargos from Shanghai to Yangshan Port. The first and the last truck will have safety drivers on board, while the middle three will be completely driverless. 

According to the plan Utopilot previously disclosed, with the help of the company’s self-developed Honghu intelligent driving system and V2V technologies, the fleet will be able to maintain a time interval of 1 second, with a 15-16m space between each vehicle, driving at a speed of 70-80km/h. The fleet will be able to marshal and un-marshal, follow the front car, keep in lane, merge through lanes, and brake automatically.  

Utopilot said that the trial operation will be the first of its kind in China. 

Utopilot has started commercialization-ready operation with its 5G+L4 intelligent heavy-duty commercial vehicles on the East Sea Bridge route since 2020. Up to now, the company has accumulated roughly 2.4 million kilometers of real operation distance, transporting 82,000 standard crate cargo.