
Hong Kong revs up development of autonomous vehicles with new, expanded trials
The Transport Department said on Thursday that mainland Chinese tech giant Baidu was also interested in applying to test autonomous vehicles in Kai Tak, in addition to its trials in Northern Lantau and Tung Chung.
The trial at the West Kowloon Cultural District was expected to move forward to road tests with passengers on autonomous minibuses on public roads this year, it added.
The department said earlier that it had approved a trial to be conducted at Cyberport, the digital tech hub in Southern district, involving 10 driverless private cars.
The licensee, Baidu Apollo International, has been running similar tests in northern Lantau and Tung Chung since December 2024 and June this year, respectively.
A spokesman for the department said the tests had been smooth, with the vehicles maintaining a stable performance.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
34 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxi service achieves 20,000km of ‘safe driving' in Hong Kong trials
Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxi service has racked up 20,000 kilometres of 'safe driving' in Hong Kong road tests, the company said on Saturday, as the city expands driverless vehicle trial areas in efforts to develop the sector. The mileage was completed during trials in Hong Kong's Northern Lantau and Tung Chung areas since receiving the city's first autonomous vehicle pilot licence in November last year, the company said. Apollo's successful test experience in Hong Kong to date would provide an 'important reference' for promoting its self-driving technology to other right-hand-drive markets worldwide, Baidu said. Hong Kong chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu and officials from the Transport Department on Friday met with Baidu co-founder and CEO Robin Li Yanhong as part of this year's policy address consultation, the company said. A driverless Baidu robotaxi navigates a road in Wuhan, Hubei province, on July 19, 2024. Photo: Reuters The officials heard Baidu's input on topics including artificial intelligence development, as well as the application scenarios and industrial adoption of autonomous driving technology in Hong Kong, according to Baidu.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to deploy robotic dogs to combat chikungunya amid rising imported cases
Hong Kong will deploy robotic dogs as part of its enhanced mosquito-control efforts to curb the chikungunya virus, as the number of imported cases is expected to rise, the environment chief has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan revealed the new measure on Saturday after the number of imported cases of the mosquito-borne disease increased to nine the previous day. He said the government was exploring the use of new technology, including trialling a robotic dog next month. It will be used to carry and spray mosquito insecticide in rugged areas that are difficult for control teams to access on foot. 'Starting from next month, we will conduct a trial using a robotic dog to spray insecticide on hillsides and other places that are difficult for control teams to access,' he told a radio programme. 'This initiative is aimed at reducing burden on frontline staff during hot weather. If the trial proves successful, more robotic dogs will be deployed and the government will continue to research other new mosquito-control methods.' Tse added that the government's current mosquito-control measures were similar to those used during previous dengue fever outbreaks, saying he was confident the Chikungunya situation could be contained.


South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong suspends bottled water deal with mainland firm, files police report
Hong Kong authorities have suspended a newly granted drinking water supply contract with a mainland Chinese company and reported the matter to police. Advertisement The Government Logistics Department said on Saturday that it doubted Xin Ding Xin Trade Company could fulfil its obligations under the 36-month contract, which was granted to it just two months ago. The agreement stipulates the supply of bottled drinking water to government offices on Hong Kong Island and some outlying islands, starting from the end of June. It was one of the first contracts of its kind granted to a mainland firm, beating long-time supplier, AS Watsons Group, a subsidiary of Li Ka-shing's CK Hutchison Holdings. 'Due to operating information recently obtained about Xin Ding Xin Trade Company, the Government Logistics Department does not believe that the company will be able to continue performing the contract and has decided to suspend it according to the terms of the contract,' it said. 'The department will continue to follow up on the case seriously, so it could take further action, including whether to terminate the related contract. The Government Logistics Department has already referred the matter to the police for investigation.' Advertisement The department noted that AS Watson would temporarily take over and supply water to the affected government offices from next week.