On the morning of October 6, a sleek, futuristic pure electric autonomous sightseeing bus pulled up at the Keyuan bus stop in the startup area of Xiongan New Area. The vehicle's body is primarily painted in tech-blue, adorned with a prominent "XIONGAN" logo and iconic local landmark patterns. After booking in advance through the "Xiongan Travel" app, a reporter boarded the bus, which has no steering wheel, and embarked on a technology-infused urban sightseeing journey.
Recently, in the startup area of Xiongan New Area, passengers rode the pure electric autonomous sightseeing bus to take in the city's sights. The vehicle started smoothly, with almost no noise. The cabin is spacious and bright, and the large panoramic glass windows provide an extremely wide field of view. A screen at the front of the ceiling displays real-time speed and simulated road conditions.
"The autonomous sightseeing bus is equipped with 18 radars and 10 high-definition cameras, giving it L4-level high automation driving capability," said Shen Jie, a business manager at China Xiongan Group Transportation Co., Ltd., while surveying the vehicle's surroundings. Since August 26, the autonomous sightseeing bus in Xiongan New Area has entered demonstration operation. The vehicle had previously completed 20,000 kilometers of road testing. In the event of traffic control or unexpected anomalies, an onboard safety officer can take manual control at any time.
The autonomous route connects eight stops, including the Keyuan bus stop, the Xiongan Institute of Innovation, and the China Telecom Industrial Park. Operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with one departure every 20 minutes. The reporter noticed that during the ride, when nearby cars approached quickly or changed lanes, the vehicle would slow down gently, and no sudden braking occurred throughout the trip. Shen Jie explained that this is thanks to continuous iterative optimization of the autonomous driving algorithm, which has greatly improved both the smoothness of autonomous driving and the comfort of the ride.
Through the windows, urban landmarks such as the Sinochem Tower, the China Huaneng Building, and the Yi'an Neighborhood Center passed by one after another. During the roughly 40-minute ride, passengers can take in the construction progress and everyday atmosphere of the startup area of Xiongan New Area. "The windows of the autonomous bus are very bright, and the seats are comfortable. After this ride, I have a more vivid sense of the urban landscape and construction of the startup area," said passenger Wei Decheng, who made a special trip from the Rongxi area to try the service and sat by the window, frequently picking up his phone to photograph the scenery outside.
According to the introduction, the autonomous bus will continue to optimize route plans and service standards and expand more sightseeing scenarios, making full preparations for official operation.