Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On October 16, Autowise.ai, Chinese autonomous driving startup, received a license from Hangzhou city, Zhejiang Province, which allows it to test its autonomous sanitation vehicles, according to a post on the Autowise.ai's WeChat account.
This milestone follows the approval of the company's Autowise V1, which is touted as the first autonomous cleaning vehicle in China to gain permission for operation on public urban roads. The latest approval allows its Autowise V3 model to begin unmanned road cleaning operations in Hangzhou.
Hangzhou has a strong foundation in the intelligent and connected vehicle industry. Since launching its demonstration zone for intelligent connected vehicles in 2015 and initiating road testing in 2018, the city has steadily advanced its capabilities. In 2024, Hangzhou implemented the Intelligent Connected Vehicle Testing and Application Promotion Regulations, expanding the testing zones from four to eight districts and Tonglu county, covering a total area of 3,474 square kilometers, providing comprehensive scenarios for autonomous vehicle applications.
In accordance with these regulations, the Autowise V3 passed rigorous assessments, including autonomous driving performance, cybersecurity, and operational readiness. According to the company, the vehicle successfully completed tests across 41 scenarios, encompassing interactions with traffic signals, obstacles, and road users, achieving a 100% pass rate. It also passed security reviews, including vehicle-to-cloud communication, cloud service systems, and component-level safety.
Launched in September 2022, the Autowise V3 is a fully integrated, self-developed autonomous vehicle model that combines advanced sensors such as LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, machine vision devices, and high-precision positioning units. It is designed to automatically start and stop, perform precise edge and wide-area cleaning, navigate around obstacles, and automatically dump waste. The model adapts to various environments, including urban roads, parks, residential areas, and high-speed rail stations.
The Autowise V3 has already achieved commercial operations in over 30 cities globally. In Shanghai, it operates in several districts, including Jiading and Pudong. In Shenzhen, it provides self-driving cleaning services across multiple districts, pioneering a replicable and scalable business model for unmanned sanitation in the city.
The Autowise V3 has also expanded internationally, with deployments in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the US. In regions like Europe and North America, where high labor costs and staffing shortages are challenges for the sanitation industry, the model's fully autonomous cleaning capabilities have been well-received. In Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where extreme heat makes outdoor work difficult, its introduction has proven invaluable to municipal cleaning operations.
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