Autowise.ai licensed to test unmanned sanitation vehicles in Hangzhou city

News, 17th October 2024

The autonomous driving startup of China, is presented with a license from Hangzhou city, Zhejiang Province, which allows to test its autonomous sanitation vehicles, according to the post of the Autowise.ai’s WeChat account.
This achievement follows the approval of the company’s Autowise V1, which is promoted as first autonomous cleaning vehicle in China to gain permission for operation on public urban roads. The latest approval enables its Autowise V3 model to begin with unmanned road cleaning operations in Hangzhou.
Hangzhou has a bedrock in the intelligent and connected vehicle industry.

Since launching of its demonstration zone for intelligent connected vehicles in 2015 and initiating road testing in 2018, the city has progressed its ability. Hangzhou implemented the Intelligent Connected Vehicle Testing and Application Promotion Regulations, in 2024 increasing the testing zones from four to eight districts and Tonglu county, covering a total area of 3,474 square kilometers, providing extensive outline for autonomous vehicle applications.

The Autowise V3 has met the requirements by successfully undergoing rigorous assessments in autonomous driving performance, cybersecurity, and operational readiness. The company reports that the vehicle has demonstrated its capabilities by passing tests in 41 different scenarios involving interactions with traffic signals, obstacles, and road users, achieving a perfect pass rate of 100%. Additionally, it has cleared security evaluations encompassing vehicle-to-cloud communication, cloud service systems, and component-level safety.

In September 2022, Autowise V3 was introduced as a fully integrated, self-designed autonomous vehicle model that integrates advanced sensors like LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, machine vision devices, and high-precision positioning units. It is engineered to initiate and cease operations automatically, execute precise edge and wide-area cleaning, maneuver around obstacles, and autonomously dispose of waste. The model is adaptable to diverse settings, including urban roads, parks, residential areas, and high-speed rail stations.

The Autowise V3 is already in commercial operation in more than 30 cities worldwide. It is active in various districts in Shanghai, such as Jiading and Pudong. In Shenzhen, the Autowise V3 offers self-driving cleaning services in several districts, introducing a sustainable and expandable business approach for unmanned sanitation in the city.

The Autowise V3 has extended its reach to international markets, with implementations in the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Its fully autonomous cleaning abilities have been positively received in regions like Europe and North America, where the sanitation industry faces challenges due to high labor costs and staffing shortages. In countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where extreme heat makes outdoor work challenging, the introduction of the Autowise V3 has been extremely valuable for municipal cleaning operations.