Undoubtedly, driverless driving is becoming the current hot spot for the global automotive industry and Internet companies to compete for deployment, and is gradually turning from concept to reality. Recently, self-driving car tests have been carried out in many places on the isl

Undoubtedly, driverless driving is becoming the “window” that the global automobile industry and Internet companies are competing for, gradually turning from concept to reality. Some countries and regions have also introduced policies to actively promote the application and development of related industries. So how is the development of driverless cars in Taiwan? According to Taiwanese media reports, driverless car tests have been taking place in many places on the island recently. Taipei Mayor Ko Wenzhe even personally stood up to support Taipei City in conducting "secret experiments" to promote the development of driverless technology.

Driverless bus hits the road at National Taiwan University

html From July 8 to 13, Taiwan’s first fully autonomous driverless bus began trial operation at the Shuiyuan Campus of National Taiwan University. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mi) The

fully automatic driverless bus recently underwent a week-long road test and trial ride at the Shuiyuan Campus of National Taiwan University. This bus is called "EZ10". It is a fully artificial intelligence driverless minibus imported from France by a Taiwanese smart transportation consulting company. It is compact and cute in appearance. EZ10 can carry 12 passengers at a time, with 6 seats and 6 standing positions, and provides connection services within a range of 0.5 kilometers to 5 kilometers. EZ10 belongs to level four autonomous driving. It is understood that autonomous vehicles are divided into five levels. Level 4 means that in a certain environment, the vehicle can complete all driving and environmental monitoring functions without the driver's intervention at all.

This road test and test ride event was jointly initiated by Taiwan Ximen Starek Company and National Taiwan University. They hope to test the stability and comfort of field operations in a small closed venue, and make corresponding improvements based on the feedback from test riders. Prepare for the next step of testing; ultimately, it is expected that autonomous driving can fill the gap in public transportation, especially to facilitate people returning at night who cannot use public transportation facilities.

Kaohsiung introduced Taiwan’s first driverless bus

Kaohsiung introduced Taiwan’s first driverless minibus, which was officially unveiled at a press conference on June 7. (Photo source: Taiwan's "United Daily News")

In fact, driverless buses were already unveiled in Kaohsiung earlier this year. It is understood that the driverless bus unveiled at that time was charged by a lithium-ion battery and operated automatically through 8 radars (also called laser rangefinders), 2 cameras, GPS positioning systems and other equipment installed in the car. The driving speed is up to 20 kilometers per hour. If an obstacle is detected on the way, it will automatically slow down or pause immediately.

It is understood that the bus tested this time has a total of 6 seats and can carry 10 people including standing seats. Driving can be controlled manually or automatically. The first trial run uses manual control, allowing the bus to memorize the route and then automatically go on the road. This bus costs over NT$10 million and is charged approximately every 4 to 8 hours. Kaohsiung City has set up charging stations or charging piles on planned routes.

Taipei held a "secret experiment" to promote the development of driverless cars

html On July 27, Taipei City officially launched the self-driving minibus experimental project. From August 1 to 5, self-driving minibuses will be operated from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. every day. A "decryption experiment" will be carried out on the Xinyi trunk line bus lane.

(Picture from: Taiwan Dongsen News Cloud)

According to the current regulations on the island, driverless cars can still only drive in relatively closed areas or fixed routes, such as community shuttle buses. This experiment in Taipei City is undoubtedly a bold step. Regarding the legal issues faced by driverless vehicles, Taipei Mayor Ko Wenzhe said that technology is often ahead of the law. Facing the emergence of new technologies, laws and regulations must be adjusted quickly.

It is reported that the self-driving minibus "EZ10" tested this time has a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour and will be controlled below 20 kilometers during the test. There are 6 optical radars in the whole vehicle to provide laser ranging and anti-collision mechanisms. . The industry said that if the trial results are good, they will apply for one route each in the east-west direction and one in the north-south direction. It is expected to invest 4 to 8 vehicles in order to achieve the effect of fleet service.

The "safety" of autonomous driving has caused controversy.

The autonomous bus that was put into trial operation at the Shuiyuan Campus of National Taiwan University lowered the auxiliary pedal to allow children to get on the bus. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mi)

The entire test drive section of the self-driving car test at National Taiwan University takes less than 10 minutes.Every time it reaches a preset stop, the bus will automatically stop for passengers to get on and off. After experiencing it, many passengers thought that the overall feeling of this bus was stable and comfortable, and they looked forward to its practical application in transportation. "Taipei is very hot in summer and rains a lot. Driverless buses can connect MRT stations to destinations. It is very convenient and the concept is great." Mr. Chen, a Taipei citizen who came for a test ride, said in an interview with reporters .

However, many people still have a wait-and-see attitude towards the practical application of driverless buses. After the test ride, Zhang Weixian, a student at National Taiwan University, said that because the road conditions on the test section were relatively good, there was no way of knowing how the bus would handle complex road conditions. Once it is actually on the road, he would wait and see before choosing to ride.

Industry insiders and experts also raised the same question. At a symposium titled "Technical Issues for Autonomous Driving in Asian Cities" held in Taipei in late April this year, participating experts pointed out that we are still not sure whether artificial intelligence can really enable machines to learn human reactions; for example, when We are driving on the road, and when a plastic bag floats over, we will judge based on experience that it is not dangerous and will not dodge or run over it directly. But can machines also have the same judgment?

In the short term, it is still a reasonable consideration to allow driverless cars to drive on simple routes in closed areas on the island, but it will still take a period of observation and testing to deal with complex road conditions and achieve safe and effective driving. Only if it can be confirmed that the safety of autonomous driving technology is indeed higher than that of human driving, can driverless cars really be put on the road. (Editor: Zhao Fengyan Comprehensive compilation based on reports from Xinhua News Agency, Taiwan Dongsen News Cloud, "United Daily News" and other reports)