China's first autonomous minibus passes national safety standards

RoboBus, a low-speed autonomous minibus independently developed by Guizhou Pix Moving Co (Pix Moving), a local enterprise in Guiyang National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, has become the first of its kind in China to pass the national GB 7258-2017 safety standard for motor vehicles. This milestone marks a significant breakthrough in the domestic autonomous driving sector.

RoboBus has obtained the Mandatory Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Report, making it the first fully self-developed autonomous minibus in China, both in hardware and software, to meet stringent national safety requirements.

Under GB 7258-2017, all autonomous vehicles in China must meet specific technical and safety conditions before being allowed to operate on public roads. From initial design to manufacturing, RoboBus was engineered to comply with these vehicle-grade standards.

To enhance reliability and safety, Pix Moving implemented a multi-tier, multi-redundancy architecture throughout the design of RoboBus. Key systems such as the drive-by-wire chassis, autonomous driving module, and cloud-based dispatching platform are built with layered redundancy to ensure fail-safe operation.

The vehicle employs a sophisticated multi-sensor fusion system, integrating LiDAR, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors. This comprehensive sensing array enables the RoboBus to perceive its surroundings with high accuracy, detecting pedestrians, obstacles, other vehicles, and road signs even under complex traffic conditions, allowing for safer and smarter driving decisions.

Pix Moving has also developed a cloud-based dispatch system featuring real-time data processing, video monitoring, emergency intervention capabilities, and alert notifications. This system enables fleet managers to track vehicle routes and statuses in real-time, ensuring efficient and safe supervision.

RoboBus has already obtained an open-road autonomous driving license in Guiyang. Its critical systems and components have also passed the European ECE certification standards, and it has secured a permit to conduct autonomous road testing and operations in Italy.