Secretary for Transport & Logistics Lam Sai-hung today visited a car park that uses an automated parking system (APS) and two large-scale companies involved in the research and development (R&D) of autonomous driving technology in Guangzhou.

Mr Lam toured a large-scale underground parking system in Tianhe District this morning, to inspect a Vertical Lifting & Horizontal Sliding System that uses three-dimensional movement for parking and retrieval of vehicles.

Drivers are spared having to U-turn or reverse their cars, plus their queuing time is reduced. The system is suitable for application in large car parks, in this case, a three-storey underground car park that can accommodate more than 200 vehicles.

The transport chief said the Government has been installing APSs controlled by an intelligent system in Tseung Kwan O, San Po Kong and Sham Shui Po.

“We will step up exchanges and co-operation with various cities on the Mainland and overseas, and introduce timely technology and related complementary measures to expedite the implementation of smart mobility.”

Mr Lam also visited two autonomous vehicles companies, WeRide and Pony.ai, to know more about the challenges of the commercial operation of autonomous vehicles, and to exchange views on ways to accelerate the application of autonomous driving in Hong Kong.

Both companies are based in Guangzhou. WeRide currently has over 600 autonomous vehicles and has launched R&D, testing and operation in more than 26 cities around the world, while Pony.ai has launched autonomous taxis or Robotaxis, in Beijing, Guangzhou and the US.

“In terms of autonomous driving technology, our country is mature in terms of infrastructure, technology development, pilot tests and application. Various intelligent traffic management measures are also well advanced.

“Through today's visit, we have learnt from the Mainland’s successful experience, which will help us take forward various smart mobility initiatives in Hong Kong and make our city more liveable and sustainable,” Mr Lam noted.

He returned to Hong Kong in the evening.