China-made driverless minibus to enter Italy

GUIYANG — Robobus, an unmanned minibus developed by a Chinese self-driving startup, is expected to hit the roads of Turin, Italy, at the foot of the Alps, and provide short-distance transportation services.

The developer, Guizhou Hankaisi Intelligent Technology, or Pix Moving, said it will work with the Italian mobile travel solutions provider Tecnocad to provide the service.

Pix Moving has passed a public road self-driving vehicle test and obtained an operating license approved by the Turin municipal government.

Based in Guiyang, Guizhou province, Pix Moving’s core product, the driverless minibus, has already gained a foothold in countries including India, Japan, Spain and the United States.

The pure-electric vehicle has no traditional bus components such as a driver’s cab or steering wheel and is designed symmetrically, without the distinction of front and rear, making it easy to move in both directions.

It can travel at up to 30 kilometers an hour and can carry six passengers, with a range of 100 km to 130 km on a single charge.

“The bottom of the minibus is an open source autonomous driving chassis,” said Angelo Yu, founder and chief executive of Pix Moving.

“It is based on an independent modular platform, built with artificial intelligence technology and digital manufacturing technology, which can be installed with systems for different needs of customized services.”