Hong Kong revs up autonomous car push, permitting extra versatile trials, utilization on roads below new regulatory regime

He stated the Transport Division might waive the provisions of related laws that weren’t relevant to such automobiles for the testing and pilot use of particular person ones.

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The measure would assist the business conduct extra intensive and versatile testing of autonomous automobiles, and in addition get hold of operation and utility information below extra advanced street circumstances, he stated.

“The brand new autonomous car regulatory system got here into impact yesterday (March 1), which signifies that unmanned autonomous automobiles have taken a brand new step on the roads in Hong Kong,” he stated in his official weblog.

Transport authorities earlier made legislative amendments to permit wider and extra versatile trials and utilization of autonomous automobiles.

The division on Friday additionally issued a code of follow for the trial and pilot use of autonomous automobiles, which units out detailed technical and operational necessities.

The brand new regulatory regime offers flexibility for analysis, testing and analysis of autonomous automobiles, paving the best way for his or her wider use domestically sooner or later, in line with authorities.

Lam stated implementation of the brand new regulatory framework might assist to push the business to additional take a look at and discover extra functions for autonomous automobiles.

One instance was an autonomous transport system to be constructed by the Airport Authority on its “Airport Metropolis Hyperlink”, a vehicular and pedestrian bridge, he stated.

The system will join the airport island and the Hong Kong Port synthetic island to offer passenger companies, and will probably be prolonged to Tung Chung metropolis centre sooner or later.

Lam stated the federal government would proceed to push the business to introduce extra trials and pilot schemes, together with checks for driving on public roads together with conventional automobiles.

He stated authorities would additionally present extra alternatives for residents to journey on autonomous automobiles to spice up confidence in and acceptance of such automobiles.

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Lam stated the federal government had permitted seven tasks involving autonomous automobiles and the web of automobiles applied sciences below the HK$1 billion Sensible Visitors Fund, 5 of which had been permitted since final yr.

“Driving an autonomous car in Hong Kong is now not out of attain. I hope that everybody may have the chance to journey on autonomous automobiles being examined this yr and expertise the comfort of ‘sensible transport’,” he stated.

Selling autonomous automobiles was amongst 9 transport technique suggestions put ahead by the federal government final yr.

Lam informed a discussion board on Friday that residents would have the ability to expertise the primary examined autonomous automobiles on open roads by the top of this yr.

He stated he would push trials of autonomous automobiles on small buses that would carry greater than 10 passengers or so and lined a hard and fast route. He added that trials on taxis can be troublesome due to their random routes.

Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, vice-president of the Hong Kong, China Vehicle Affiliation, stated the brand new regulatory regime was a step ahead as testing might be finished on open roads. Beforehand trials had been restricted to some restricted areas.

He stated the business welcomed the brand new framework as autonomous driving might assist relieve driver shortages and scale back human error whereas particular person automobile house owners had been keen to show to unmanned automobiles for improved security.

Lee stated Hong Kong already lagged different international locations and mainland China, the place unmanned taxis had been placed on roads in some cities.

He urged the federal government to take a position extra within the infrastructure wanted for the operation of autonomous automobiles, comparable to radar and CCTV cameras, and introduce applied sciences from abroad and the mainland.

Eric Wong, CEO of electrical car supplier Richburg Motors, stated his firm had solely imported automobiles with out an autonomous driving perform due to the strict laws. However below the brand new regulatory framework, it could have many extra choices and would take into account bringing in additional autonomous automobiles, he stated.

He stated greater than half of the corporate’s shoppers had expressed an curiosity in autonomous automobiles.

“Hong Kong has an enormous demand for autonomous automobiles due to site visitors congestion, and it’s the course of the event of the sensible metropolis sooner or later,” he stated.