Shanghai has opened a total of 926 roads for autonomous driving tests, with a total mileage of 1,800 kilometers.

(An image from the Shanghai municipal government's Weibo.)

Shanghai will allow autonomous buses to operate in the city's downtown area on a pilot basis, marking an important support for autonomous driving technology in the eastern Chinese megacity.

Shanghai will begin operating autonomous buses on a pilot basis in the central city at specific times of the day and on specific roads, local media outlet The Paper said in a report today.

Shanghai already has extensive autonomous driving test road scenarios, with a cumulative total of 926 open roads and 1,800 kilometers of roads, the mileage of which is among the highest in the country, the report said.

This year, Shanghai will further expand autonomous driving test road scenarios in Pudong New Area, providing a larger range and more scenarios of test environments in the Jinqiao and Pudong Airport areas, the report said.

The city will explore a sustainable, replicable and scalable commercialization path for autonomous driving, and accelerate the demonstration operation of intelligent connected vehicles on a large scale, according to the report.

Shanghai is home to the headquarters of new Chinese car-making forces including Nio (NYSE: NIO) and Neta Auto, as well as Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) China factory, where vehicles used for autonomous driving tests can be seen regularly on the roads.

Shanghai will further deepen its cooperation with Tesla and promote the electric vehicle maker's businesses in the city, including autonomous driving and robotics, a local official said in May.

On August 24, General Motors said it received permission in Shanghai to conduct L4 autonomous driving road tests in a designated area.

The first phase of the test is scheduled for one year, and Cadillac Lyriq test vehicles will operate in Shanghai's Jinqiao area.

GM said it will leverage the artificial intelligence technology of Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta to accelerate algorithm iterations and lay the groundwork for more advanced autonomous driving tests and operations in the future.

Tesla says rumors that FSD will start pilot run in Shanghai untrue