Morning commuters board intelligent micro-transit buses for a smooth and convenient journey to work; at noon, autonomous delivery carts traverse neighborhood streets, delivering packages precisely to residential communities; and as night falls, "ground-air integrated" unmanned patrol vehicles keep constant watch around commercial districts. In Changsha, Hunan Province, functional autonomous vehicles are moving beyond their original logistics and delivery applications, embedding themselves into every facet of urban operations through diverse scenarios and acting as the intricate, vibrant capillaries of the city's operational framework.
Over the past decade, through sustained industrial development, the Xiangjiang New Area has helped Changsha secure five national-level endorsements: the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Test Zone, the National-level Internet of Vehicles Pilot Zone, the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, the Pilot City for Smart City Infrastructure and Intelligent Connected Vehicle Coordinated Development, and one of the first National "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" Pilot Cities. These designations have paved a solid development track for intelligent connected vehicles to move from the laboratory to urban open roads.
"The boundaries of intelligent connected vehicle development are continuously expanding, extending from traditional passenger cars into commercial vehicles, functional autonomous vehicles, and low-altitude aircraft, gradually building a ground-air coordinated three-dimensional transportation system," said Qin Zhiyao, Deputy General Manager of Xiangjiang Intelligent.
The foundation for this industrial rise lies in the ever-extending urban intelligent testing road network. As early as 2016, the Hunan Xiangjiang New Area had already taken a forward-looking approach to planning the intelligent connected vehicle industry. In June 2018, the Intelligent System Testing Zone, equipped with 12 kilometers of test roads and 78 intelligent driving test scenarios, officially opened. In November of the same year, it was approved as the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Changsha) Testing Zone.
"Currently, the total mileage of intelligent connected test roads in Changsha has exceeded 1,100 kilometers, achieving full open access across the core areas of the Xiangjiang New Area," Qin Zhiyao explained.
In August of this year, the province's first "ground-air integrated" unmanned patrol vehicle made its debut. Built on the chassis of an autonomous delivery vehicle and equipped with a mobile drone base station and specialized police-grade gimbal equipment, the vehicle can execute coordinated high-altitude reconnaissance and ground patrol operations, expanding the intelligent means of urban security.
The civil logistics sector is also showcasing remarkable innovation in unmanned operations. In June, Zhixin Yuntu partnered with Hunan Modern Cold Chain Logistics Group, planning to establish a fleet of 100 unmanned cold-chain vehicles in the first year to facilitate the efficient circulation of fresh and cold-chain goods. Meanwhile, micro-transit autonomous buses launched in the Yuelu High-Tech Zone have become a new commuting option for park employees.
"The continuous iteration and expansion of application scenarios are inseparable from the dual safeguards of institutional supply and new infrastructure construction," Qin Zhiyao told reporters. The Xiangjiang New Area has introduced specific implementation rules clarifying that functional autonomous vehicles can begin commercial pilot operations once they obtain dedicated coding. To date, 633 test codes have been issued. Additionally, the "Changsha Autonomous Driving Vehicle Development Regulations," in effect for nearly six months, strongly safeguard the healthy and long-term development of the industry.
"Changsha has now achieved demonstration applications for a thousand-plus intelligent connected vehicles, covering six major application scenarios: connected passenger cars, connected buses, autonomous shuttle buses, connected fire trucks, robotaxis, and urban unmanned delivery," said Liu Kai, Technical Director of Xiangjiang Intelligent. "From breakthroughs in single-point scenarios to the accelerated agglomeration of the industrial ecosystem, from pioneering institutional innovation to the gradual rollout of large-scale commercial operations, Changsha's functional autonomous vehicle industry is steadily and rapidly advancing onto the fast track of high-quality development."