Chinese tech giant Baidu has successfully tested its driverless car on roads near the company’s headquarters in Beijing.
Baidu’s modified BMW 3 series has completed a rigorous, fully autonomous testing on mixed roads.
The Chinese Google’s autonomous car traveled an almost 19-mile route that began at its headquarters in Beijing without the intervention of a human driver.
Wang Jing, its Autonomous Driving Unit’s SVP, said: “Fully autonomous driving under mixed road conditions is universally challenging, with complexity further heightened by Beijing’s road conditions and unpredictable driver behavior.”
The vehicle made right/left/U-turns, passed other cars and merged into traffic on its own while going at a top speed of 62 mph.
The 30km (18.6 miles) test route required a modified BMW 3 Series to navigate “complex road conditions”, including human drivers, the firm said.
Baidu has amassed a library of 3D road maps to guide its autonomous vehicles.
Baidu’s highly automated driving (HAD) maps capture road data in 3D to within a few centimetres of accuracy, according to the company.
The car is able to detect vehicles, road lanes and objects in its path.
