Qiming Venture Partners | WeRide launches Europe's first commercial fully driverless L4 autonomous Robobus route
The project marks an unprecedented collaboration among four industry-leading companies, all united by a shared vision: equitable, shared autonomous mobility services should blanket every corner of cities and suburbs alike, accelerating the shift to greener transportation and giving residents easier access to work, healthcare, education, and leisure.
Recently, WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD), a Qiming Venture Partners portfolio company and global leader in autonomous driving technology, joined forces with Renault Group, French autonomous mobility operator beti, and insurance group Macif to launch L4 autonomous ride-hailing services in Drôme, France — marking WeRide's first fully driverless commercial deployment of Robobus on public roads in Europe.
Under this collaboration, WeRide is supplying multiple driverless minibuses equipped with L4 autonomous driving technology. Each vehicle is 6 meters long and can accommodate up to 8 passengers. The autonomous shuttle fleet will be operated by beti, with services commencing March 10 at the Rovaltain business park surrounding the Valence TGV station in Drôme.
The project represents an unprecedented partnership among four industry leaders, united by a shared vision: that accessible, shared autonomous mobility should serve both urban and suburban areas, advance the green transportation transition, and provide residents with more convenient access to work, healthcare, education, and leisure.
The shuttle deployment at Rovaltain business park breaks new ground on several fronts:
- This marks WeRide's first fully driverless commercial deployment of L4 autonomous driving technology on European public roads, adding a new chapter to the company's global expansion;
- This is the first L4 autonomous mobility network in Europe jointly developed by WeRide, Renault Group, and beti to connect a railway station with surrounding business parks;
- The Robobus is fully compliant with local traffic regulations, capable of operating at compliant speeds (up to 40 km/h) with dynamic obstacle avoidance.
Xuan Li, WeRide's CFO and head of international business, stated: "Through our partnership with beti, we have successfully extended our proven expertise from China, Singapore, and the Middle East to Europe, achieving the continent's first commercial deployment of autonomous Robobus on public roads. This further solidifies WeRide's global leadership in commercializing L4 autonomous driving."
Benjamin Beaudet, CEO of beti, explained: " beti provides a hypervision solution for remote assistance. Under this system, remote safety operators do not directly control the vehicle but instead monitor its operation in real time, enabling rapid response or emergency braking when necessary — adding an extra layer of safety for autonomous driving while driving continuous system improvement."
Patrick Vergelas, head of autonomous driving programs at Renault Group, said: " Over the past year, Renault Group and WeRide have successfully collaborated on autonomous minibus testing. We are now launching autonomous shuttle services in Valence, France. Renault Group is steadily advancing its strategy to introduce practical, low-carbon, efficient autonomous minibuses before 2030 to meet growing mobility needs across regions."
Yann Arnaud, director of member demand response and innovation at Macif, emphasized: " As the initiator and lead party of the Movin'On Community of Interest on Automated Vehicles (CIVA), Macif is closely following this deployment. Observation and analysis of this project will help us explore and develop collective collaboration models for autonomous mobility."
The newly launched autonomous shuttle route spans 3.3 kilometers, covering the high-speed rail station, long-term parking lots, the business district's dining center, and over 150 companies employing 3,000 workers across the 162-hectare park — focused on three core scenarios:
- Providing flexible passenger and freight mobility solutions between the TGV station, TER station, and businesses, promoting green travel and ensuring the last mile remains environmentally efficient;
- Offering low-carbon shuttle service between long-term parking and Valence TGV station, filling a gap currently only traversable on foot;
- Connecting park businesses and other private facilities to the dining center, improving commuting convenience for local employees and entrepreneurs.
WeRide Robobus operating area at Rovaltain business park
The autonomous shuttle service will roll out in phases: Phase one is pilot operation, running March 10 through April 19, Monday through Friday, demonstrating and validating the service's feasibility, safety, and operational efficiency to Europe's transportation industry in real passenger scenarios. Phase two, formal operation, will launch in July and expand service scale and coverage.
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Founded in 2006, Qiming Venture Partners currently manages 11 USD funds and 7 RMB funds, with total assets under management reaching $9.5 billion. Since inception, the firm has focused on investing in outstanding early- and growth-stage companies in Technology and Consumer (T&C) and Healthcare sectors.
To date, Qiming Venture Partners has invested in over 580 high-growth innovative companies. More than 210 of these have listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and Shenzhen Stock Exchange, or exited through M&A and other means. Over 80 portfolio companies have become recognized unicorns or super-unicorns.
Many Qiming Venture Partners portfolio companies have grown into the most influential players in their respective fields, including Xiaomi (01810.HK), Meituan (03690.HK), Bilibili (NASDAQ: BILI, 09626.HK), Zhihu (NYSE: ZH, 02390.HK), Roborock (688169.SH), UBTECH (09880.HK), WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD), Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (603087.SH), Tigermed (300347.SZ, 03347.HK), Zai Lab (NASDAQ: ZLAB, 09688.HK), CanSino Biologics (688185.SH, 06185.HK), Schrödinger (NASDAQ: SDGR), APT Medical (688617.SH), NuoHua Health (06606.HK), Sanyou Medical (688085.SH), AmoyDx (300685.SZ), Berry Genomics (000710.SZ), Sinocelltech (688520.SH), Yuanxin Technology, Caidya, Belief BioMed, and Biren Technology.