China may have unmanned vehicles on roads in 3 to 5 years

BEIJING, March 16 (APP):Unmanned vehicles will appear in regular traffic in three to five years, and people can soon travel in automatically-driven cars on expressways between Beijing and Shanghai while “eating and singing,” according to the CEO of one of China’s largest tech firms.
Robin Li Yanhong, who is also a member of the 13th National Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the prediction at the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in the Chinese capital.
Li said Baidu is attempting to connect with some mainstream car manufacturers to make automatic driving possible on expressways.
“If you want to travel from Beijing to Shanghai, for example, the only thing you need is to drive the car to Beijing’s Fifth Ring Road or expressway, wait, enjoy eating and singing until the system reminds you to take over and drive off the expressway after you arrive in Shanghai,” Li said.
Baidu will launch a limited number of minibuses without steering wheels or driver’s seats this year, according to the tech company’s head.
Cooperating with China’s King Long, a bus manufacturer, the minibus called “Abolong” will first operate on closed roads or limited conditions like scenic areas and docks.