DiDi's KargoBot L4 autonomous trucks granted road testing approval in Beijing

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Recently, DiDi's autonomous freight solution, KargoBot, received a notice for road testing of its factory-assembled L4 autonomous trucks in the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area.

Photo credit: DiDi

This approval allows KargoBot to conduct open road tests within the open areas in the city.

This development marks a significant step for KargoBot, as it follows the approval granted to its retrofitted models for road testing in early 2022. Unlike retrofitted autonomous trucks, factory-assembled production models not only adhere to safety and technical reliability standards but also offer more cost-effective scalability. Obtaining permission for road testing with production models places higher demands on a company's technological R&D capabilities and the implementation of autonomous driving solutions.

Obtaining the road test license involves a series of processes, including closed-course validation, autonomous driving capability assessment, and expert reviews. The issuance of the notice signifies the recognition of KargoBot's technological prowess and its management system for autonomous driving road tests.

In recent developments, Beijing has designated certain sections of the Beijing-Taiwan Expressway, the northern route of the Daxing Airport Expressway, and some segments of the Daxing Airport Expressway for autonomous truck road testing. KargoBot will utilize these open highways in Beijing for autonomous truck freight testing.

Differing from other autonomous driving companies, KargoBot employs a hybrid intelligent operation mode. A human driver operates a lead vehicle equipped with L2 advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), guiding multiple L4 autonomous trucks to enhance logistics efficiency across various complex scenarios during short, medium, and long-haul routes.