WeRide, a China-based tech company widely known for its self-driving solutions, has succeeded in obtaining a nationwide license for Level 4 autonomous vehicle tests in the UAE, which it said set a new precedent in the country.
According to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vivid interest the UAE expressed towards the technology originated from the country’s long-term goal of 25% self-driven cars on the roads of Dubai by the beginning of the next decade.
For its own part, WeRide pointed out that over a year of testing across a variety of restricted areas preceded this decision. Now that tests on public roads have been greenlit, the Chinese company hopes to maintain its robotaxis in the UAE with the help of its partners in the region. It had already teamed up with Txai on a similar project some time before.
SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles can move on public roads and make independent driving decisions in the vast majority of the situations. Despite that, they still come equipped with conventional controls for emergencies or for when the driver simply wants to take things into their own hands.