Fleet of Driverless Cars For Tourists Coming to Shanghai Park

Ever dreamed of having a self-driving robot-car who’s also your buddy, kinda like Bumblebee in Transformers (or KITT from Knight Rider if you’re over 40)? 

Thanks to the driverless vehicles on stand-by at an upcoming Jiabei countryside park, that dream is now a reality. Well, almost. It might still be a while before cars will consider you their buddy. 

The park, located in Jiading district, is slated to open in September. It will feature a collection of self-driving cars programmed to conduct an excursion to every corner of the recreational area including a bamboo forest, a rice farm, a lavender field and a grape orchard. 

The vehicles are part of the 30 ‘ClubCars’ available for rent, but only 10 are able to self-drive. The driverless cars will follow a 2-kilometer sightseeing route and can stop automatically for tourists to hop on and off.

Are they safe? In theory, sure. Since autonomic cars use technological sensors such as radars, lidar systems, tri-focal cameras, advanced GPS and multiple computer systems to function on their own, they are less accident-prone than human drivers. 

Only one way to find out though. Go to Jiabei and ride with Bumblebee or one his cousins.

[Image via Automotive Fleet]