(Yicai Global) Sept. 30 -- Shanghai opened its first smart road for autonomous driving tests that is also open to regular traffic in its Lingang New Area today, the Shanghai Observer reported.

The first self-driving vehicles to drive along the 8.5 kilometer stretch of road include buses developed by rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Corp. and artificial intelligence firm DeepBlue Technology, passenger vehicles by AI firm SenseTime Group and intelligence mobility company Allride.AI, and unmanned sweepers made by Tonglu Technology and carmaker SAIC Motor’s unit Maxus.

These vehicles have all been conducting unmanned driving tests for three months on closed roads, said Zhang Yong, an intelligent driving engineer at Beijing-based CRRC. Some of the autos can already navigate this smart road.

Driverless buses are expected to be running services along this road by early next year after clocking up 3,000 kilometers of test driving along it, Zhang said.

Smart roads are lined with video cameras, lidar, which is a method for measuring distances, and millimeter-wave radar devices. They can provide passing smart vehicles with roadside traffic information, enabling the communication and interaction between passing vehicles and the surrounding environment.

Editor: Kim Taylor