China’s WeRide starts third European self-driving trial in Switzerland

Company is stepping up efforts in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Japan and South Korea, CEO Tony Han says

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WeRide-powered autonomous vehicles have found use at Zurich airport and the French Open. Photo: Weibo/ Xauto报告

Published: 5:00pm, 14 Jan 2025

Chinese self-driving technology firm WeRide has revved up its international expansion with a pilot project testing fully autonomous cars in Switzerland through a partnership with the country’s national railway operator.

Guangzhou-based WeRide, which raised US$440.5 million in an initial public offering and private placement on the Nasdaq market in October, is looking to markets including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Japan and South Korea to bolster its international business and enhance its innovative capabilities, its founder and CEO Tony Han said in an interview.

“The projects are not just about tapping the markets with the partners,” he said. “For us, as a technology company, we have a social responsibility to promote local development with self-driving service, which is of great value to the global economy.”

Initially, two autonomous cars fitted with WeRide’s technology will be in service in the Furttal region in Switzerland. Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB), the country’s national railway operator, is providing financial support, while Swiss Transit Lab will manage the driverless cars. The fleet is expected to grow to eight vehicles including minibuses in 2026, followed by further expansion.

The vehicles have level 4 (L4) autonomous-driving capabilities. This means they do not require human intervention in most circumstances, according to SAE International, a standardisation body. L4 is seen as an important milestone on the way to L5 fully autonomous driving, which would, for example, enable manufacturers and freight companies to run driverless fleets.

The SBB project is the third that WeRide has launched in Europe in the last eight months. A week ago, the company said it had put Europe’s first commercial autonomous minibuses into operation at Zurich airport. In June, WeRide partnered with Renault to provide autonomous shuttle service at the French Open tennis event.

“We expect our international businesses to account for more than half of our total business in the future,” Han said. “WeRide is among the few technology companies capable of running autonomous-driving businesses globally.”