Chongqing - "Chongqing is poised to become one of the first cities in China to apply vehicle-road-cloud integration, providing valuable experiences for the development of intelligent transportation systems across the country," said Du Xiaoping, cloud monitoring expert of the Western China Science City Innovation Center of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (WICV) during the autonomous driving forum held in Chongqing on January 27.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other ministries have recently introduced a pilot program for Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration in intelligent connected vehicles. The initiative includes nine key measures, such as enhancing smart roadside infrastructure and increasing in-car device installations. The WICV has made significant progress, completing tasks and successfully advancing to the project's first phase.

The Road to the Future of Autonomous Driving - Transportation and Vehicle Engineering Discipline Development Forum, a significant event in intelligent transportation, attracted over 300 experts from diverse fields such as road, rail, maritime, and aviation/aerospace.

The forum spotlighted the swift progress of autonomous driving technology, witnessing widespread implementation of Level 2 in new vehicle models. Momentum is growing in the exploration and practical application of Level 3 and above technologies on open roads. Wang Zhizhong, Director of the Transportation and Vehicle Engineering Discipline at the National Natural Science Foundation of China, stressed the forum's role in fostering cross-disciplinary connections and advancing standard technologies in intelligent driving.

A central theme of the forum emphasized the symbiotic relationship between digitalization, informatization, and intelligence. Mao Ming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlighted their mutual reinforcement in advancing human civilization. He underscored the significance of generalization, platformization, and the open-source nature of software in the intelligentization process.

Li Keqiang, a leading academic in intelligent connected vehicles and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering delved into the potential of new-generation AI technology in intelligent vehicles. He highlighted the role of AI in enabling all-element perception, situation understanding, and autonomous decision-making on both structured and unstructured roads.

Chongqing, a major automobile production base in China, has seen its automobile output rise to second place nationally in 2023. The city has been a leader in intelligent connected new energy vehicles, with over 500,000 units produced, marking a 30% year-on-year growth.

The city is actively promoting the construction of demonstration zones, such as the National Telematics Pilot Zone, and is at the forefront of the commercial operation of driverless cars.

The WICV project, with a 600 million yuan (USD 84.5 million) investment, aims to establish a demonstration zone covering over 200 kilometers of urban roads. Currently, nearly 50 kilometers have been completed, with over 1,100 vehicles connected.

Du explained the empowering impact of integrating vehicle, road, and cloud technologies on autonomous driving. This integration facilitates applications such as accident reminders, traffic light speed guidance, and cooperative control in adverse weather.

"We're working on a WeChat mini-program for existing vehicles. This program will enable drivers to access vehicle, road, and cloud integration services as soon as they enter the Intelligent Connected Vehicles Demonstration Zone in Chongqing High-tech Zone," said Du. 

He added that in 2024, the WICV plans to enhance some Level 2 vehicles to Level 3 and Level 4 capabilities. These upgraded vehicles will be tested in the demonstration zone, followed by collaboration with automotive manufacturers to facilitate mass production.