A Geely self-driving car makes a test run on an open road in Hangzhou Bay New Zone in Ningbo. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

The first batch of licenses for intelligent connected cars to conduct open-road tests in the Yangtze River Delta region were issued at the 2019 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference on Sept 16. 

They were issued to three auto companies in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, respectively and Geely Auto based in Hangzhou was one of the three. With the license, Geely's self-driving cars can conduct road tests in any city in the region that offers open roads for such tests, officials said.

The only such road in Zhejiang is located in Hangzhou Bay New Zone in Ningbo. Stretching around five kilometers, the road has undergone intelligent renovation and is now equipped with many high-tech applications such as 5G base stations, intelligent traffic signs and intelligent roadside systems.

A safety supervisor sits in the driver's seat to monitor the test-run of a Geely self-driving car. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

As one of China's cities to pilot the construction of intelligent car infrastructure and mechanisms, Ningbo is now working hard to turn the Hangzhou Bay New Zone into a national center for tests, applications and innovation of intelligent connected vehicles, officials said.

On Sept 9, Zhejiang signed an agreement with Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Anhui to promote test data sharing and mutual recognition of test results of intelligent connected vehicles in the YRD region.