Beijing opens first enclosed testing center for self-driving cars

A center for the testing of self-driving cars has opened in Beijing's Haidian District, reports Beijing Daily.

The 13 hectare site is the first enclosed testing field for self-driving vehicle research and development in China. It allows vehicles to be tested under as many as one hundred different road conditions. This includes simulating driving on urban and rural roads, and navigating around obstacles vehicles would encounter when driving on real roads, like other vehicles, pedestrians, and bus stations.

Companies including Baidu Inc., Baic Motor, and HiRain Technologies have already started testing their self-driving car technology at the new center.

According to the details of road tests for autopilot vehicles unveiled by Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport earlier this month, self-driving vehicles must complete tests in designated closed zones before they can be tested on public roads.

In January, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was also reported to have completed the country's first draft regulations for road tests of self-driving cars, to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles.

An even bigger and more advanced road test center for self-driving vehicles is currently under construction in Yizhuang Economic Development Zone, in Beijing's Daxing District.