WANG ZHAO, China — In a sign of the intensifying global competition in self-driving car technology, a driverless shuttle that operates entirely by computer technology got its commercial launch Sunday in Beijing, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Tian Tian, a driverless robot taxi made by China’s State Automotive Administration, was unveiled outside Tiananmen Square before heading out on its maiden two-kilometer (1.2-mile) route. The ride-sharing system has an annual revenue potential of more than $10 million, the newspaper said.
“We will continue to work with other stakeholders to make it a national launch-pad for driverless bus technology and nurture local market champions in the space,” said Xiao Chunfei, chief engineer of Tian Tian, according to Xinhua.
China is investing aggressively in cutting-edge technology and has been seeking to dominate the global race to develop self-driving cars, although most of the world’s most advanced autonomous vehicle technology remains in the United States.
Tian Tian, whose name means the red road and whose drivers include an engineer from the Ministry of Transport and an expert from the Beijing subway system, features six camera screens and two radar transceivers. It can operate as a single- or multiple-operator vehicle.