In order to encourage the private sector to invest in the emerging field of self-driving vehicles, the Department of Industrial Technology, MOEA has offered a grant program, Driverless Vehicles Technology Demonstration Grant Program, since January 2020. The grant is for a period of two years and covers up to 50% of total project funding. If the applicant can also secure local government support, the self-funding requirement can be reduced to about 25% of the budget. This program has been well-received, with 17 applications received by this May and 15 of those applications approved. In March 2019, the Driverless Vehicles Technology Innovative Experimentation Program Office of the Department of Industrial Technology, MOEA officially opened Taiwan's first international self-driving test site and Taiwan CAR Lab in Shalun, Tainan. In August 2019, ITRI's Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories passed the self-driving test at the Shalun test site and was issued the "Test-0001" self-driving license and road permit.
Let's take a look at the efforts of various organizations in Taiwan in the field of driving autonomy. WinBus, a self-driving minibus developed by the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), Kingwaytek Technology, and a number of domestic manufacturers, is now on the road. Kingwaytek received the "first license to operate self-driving vehicles on the road in Taiwan" in February 2020, and then tested a long-distance self-driving shuttle service in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park (CCIP) in July 2020. WinBus has no steering wheel, no brakes, no throttle, and is all computer-controlled. It is equipped with sensors, radar, and infrared detection to determine whether to go forward or turn. It will also judge traffic lights and routes independently. At the time, WinBus operated the world's longest self-driving bus route, with a maximum of 15 passengers per trip. The route started from Taiwan Glass Gallery in CCIP and passed through Show Chwan Health Park, Brand's Health Museum, and the Ribbon Museum. The self-driving shuttle completed a 7.5-kilometer circular route in Taiwan in about 1 hour, making it the first regulatory sandbox experiment in the country. It is worth mentioning that WinBus has a 90% self-production rate in Taiwan.
The Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories, ITRI began testing its first self-driving minibus in August 2017, after two years of R&D that began in 2015. Then in April 2018, the first domestically developed self-driving shuttle bus began a 40-day trial operation at the Taoyuan Agricultural Expo, completing a total of 660 trips for passengers. In July 2018, the self-driving vehicle team at ITRI's Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories developed the first self-driving van, which they used for continued tests of logistics delivery and station pickup on ITRI's premises. In September 2019, the self-driving van was brought to general roads in Nanliao Fishing Port in Hsinchu for technical validation and testing. In July 2021, the team used the same self-driving van to begin validating logistics self-driving delivery in downtown Hsinchu City. It was the first case of self-driving vehicle sandbox experimentation in an open logistics area in Taiwan.
In July 2018, Taiwanese company 7StarLake and French manufacturer EasyMile collaborated to introduce the self-driving minibus EZ10. The 7StarLake self-driving minibus was tested on closed roads in Xinyi District, Taipei City. The minibus can accommodate up to 12 passengers (with 6 seated and 6 standing). In self-driving mode, the speed will be adjusted according to the driving conditions, with a maximum speed limit of 20 km/h. Thanks to 5G broadband network transmission, the minibus can automatically sense obstacles and send back real-time images.
In addition, Turing Drive's 100% self-developed self-driving bus, which has nearly 70% of its hardware manufactured domestically, was tested at night on closed roads on Xinyi Road in Taipei City in May 2020. The self-driving medium-sized bus, tested in the bus lane, uses sensors such as LiDAR, radar, and cameras. It is designed to be an electric bus with a range of 150 kilometers. The bus comes in two sizes: a 4-meter minibus that can carry 9 people and a 6-meter medium-sized bus that can carry up to 34 people.
Formosa Plastics Transport Corporation (FPTC) began testing and validating its self-driving logistics service in July 2020 at the Chang Gung Health and Culture Village with a 12-ton heavy-duty truck. It was the first test of a self-driving logistics vehicle in a closed park. The truck does not carry cargo and does not have a driver. It goes around in the park every day, not only climbing and turning, but also stopping automatically after recognizing intersections and unexpected road conditions. This largest self-driving truck in Taiwan was jointly built by FPTC, National Taiwan University (NTU), Ming Chi University of Technology, and iAuto Technology. The truck itself is equipped with various sensors, and the self-driving system uses an AI-aware self-driving system developed by the NTU team. This allows the truck to quickly adjust its driving strategy in response to changes in the surrounding environment. In terms of communication, Taiwan Mobile's 5G and Nokia's C-V2X (cellular vehicle-to-everything) technology are integrated to provide maintenance services and V2X-related applications, as well as iAuto Technology's iAuto integrated system.
In addition, the Smart Driving Bus, a joint effort of Chunghwa Telecom, Kingwaytek and Tamshui Bus, began passenger testing in Tamshui, New Taipei City on August 3, 2020 and made history as the first driverless bus system to be officially operated in Taiwan. Tamshui Bus operates the system, with Chunghwa Telecom providing the honeycomb inter-vehicle communication and monitoring center system, and Kingwaytek creating the self-driving car system. The route ran from the Kanding Station of the Danhai Light Rail to the Miranew Square Shopping Center, about 600 meters away. The 1.2 km round trip route was marked with a dedicated lane. Because the route was at a corner with relatively simple traffic conditions, the bus basically only passed through a T-intersection and turned around at an intersection. Due to legal restrictions, however, there was still a driver on board ready to take over in case of emergency.
The last project is the self-driving bus between Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station and the AI Area Park on Zhuangjing North Road in Jubei. The bus has been tested in daytime without passengers on weekdays since March 24, 2023. This self-driving bus is a collaboration between the Hsinchu County Government, ITRI, Yosemite-Bus, Mobiletron, and MaxWin Technology. Through V2X technology and applications, the Smart Intersection Collision Avoidance System, Smart Signal and Phase Push System, Smart Bus Stop System, and other smart systems have been installed. The roadside equipment installed transmits the number of seconds at intersection signals and lateral traffic information to self-driving vehicles while transmitting arrival information about self-driving vehicles to smart bus stops to enhance the safety and convenience of self-driving vehicles en route. At present, the self-driving bus can complete the entire route, including making turns, changing lanes, and stopping at bus stops. It is expected that the bus, transporting passengers for free, will be tested on the road in June, and will be incorporated into the city's bus routes when conditions are ripe for public service. This self-driving bus, officially called the Hsinchu County High Speed Rail Self-Driving Shuttle Experimental Project, is the first project in Taiwan to test self-driving vehicles on open roads in the city.
From the above examples, we can see that with the government's goal of full electrification of urban buses by 2030, Taiwan is well-positioned to become a leader in the global market for self-driving electric buses. Given that Taiwan's self-driving electric bus industry is benefiting from the development of V2X and V2I systems, Taiwan has the potential not only to create a green public bus transportation system, but also to make Taiwan-made electric buses and self-driving systems available to the world. I believe that Taiwan's self-driving electric buses, different from personal vehicles, have a unique advantage that will lead them to flourish in the coming years and become another shining light for Taiwan.
About the author - Kenny Liu
Graduated from Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Cheng Kung University in 1988, started his auto industry career since July 1990 after two year military service. Starting as a service engineer and a temp technician, product marketing specialist in Peugeot/ Daihatsu, marketing and dealer channel specialist in VW LCV from March 1992, then field manager in GM Taiwan from Feb. 1994, sales and service / parts head in Ford Lio-Ho from Sep. 1998 till retirement in May 2019. Kenny then started to work for JLR Taiwan as sales/service head and consultant/ lecturer. After that, he was invited to work at a Suzuki dealer of Taipei as the general manager until April 2022.