You might have seen unmanned retail vehicles in Beijing E-Town, but have you seen unmanned sweeping vehicles?

On the roads near Tongming Lake, an unmanned sweeping vehicle with two buns on its top is at work.

An unmanned sweeping vehicle developed by WeRide is on the road. [Photo/ beijingetown.com.cn]

Recently, WeRide officially received the Intelligent Connected Sweeping Vehicle Road Test Certificate issued by the Beijing High-Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone Office, becoming the first autonomous driving company authorized to conduct unmanned sweeping operations in Beijing E-Town.

This unmanned sweeping vehicle not only has eyes but also a brain for intelligent operations. The buns on both sides of the front of the vehicle are sensors that function like eyes, allowing the vehicle to perceive the road environment.

Meanwhile, WeRide's dedicated cloud control platform equips the vehicle with a command center and an intelligent brain. 

This platform enables real-time monitoring of operation routes, status, and autonomous driving conditions. It achieves functions such as intelligent scheduling, automatic wake-up, remote dispatch, and route management, efficiently serving street cleaning tasks.

An unmanned sweeping vehicle developed by WeRide is on the road. [Photo/ beijingetown.com.cn]

Additionally, WeRide employs multiple designs, implementing redundancy systems in sensors, line control, computing units, and various algorithms to ensure the safety and reliability of the vehicle during operations.

Currently, WeRide has deployed five unmanned sweeping vehicles in Beijing E-Town.

According to regulations, after obtaining the Intelligent Connected Sweeping Vehicle Road Test Certificate, these vehicles can conduct cleaning operations on designated test routes. 

These vehicles have a maximum water storage capacity of six tons and a maximum range of 300 kilometers. In autonomous driving mode, the vehicle can perform various urban sanitation tasks, such as road sweeping and flushing around the clock, enhancing urban sanitation efficiency and reducing the risks associated with manual operation.

"Innovative policies encourage and support the development of new technologies and formats. This plays a significant role in accelerating the implementation of technology for startups like ours in the autonomous driving industry," stated the head of WeRide.

Accelerating the implementation of unmanned sweeping scenarios not only alleviates the challenges of an aging sanitation market and labor shortages but also continuously improves operation duration and efficiency. 

Going forward, Beijing E-Town will promote broader technological iterations and expand richer application scenarios, gradually extending the construction of a 500-square-kilometer expansion area.