Alibaba Said To Get China License To Test Its Self-Driving Trucks On Road

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings BABA said it had been granted a license to test its L4 self-driving trucks.

What Happened: Following the widespread use of its low-speed self-driving logistics vehicles, Alibaba said the Deqing county in Huzhou city of Zhejiang province had granted it a license to test its self-driving trucks, CnEVPost reported.

The company said the Deqing county is the first in China to issue a license allowing companies to conduct public road tests of L4 self-driving trucks without safety officers. Alibaba received one of the first two licenses issued.

Alibaba's DAMO-Academy-developed Damanlv — a crewless truck — will conduct road tests in designated areas in Deqing, including some highway sections, CnEVPost reported.

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According to Chen Junbo, technical head of DAMO Academy's autonomous driving lab, the move will further accelerate the development of Alibaba's L4 unmanned truck and help push autonomous driving to public roads and highway trunk lines.

Alibaba has been exploring the R&D and application of autonomous driving technologies in the logistics field for a long time.

Price Action: The Hong Kong-listed stock of Alibaba soared nearly 5%, while the overall Hang Seng Index gained 2.22% during the trading session on Monday. According to data from Benzinga Pro, Alibaba shares gained 2.18% during the U.S. pre-market session on Monday.

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