As part of a pilot project that could possibly pave the way for the real-time monitoring and tracking of vehicles on the road, 200,000 vehicles in the southern China city of Shenzhen have been given electronic IDs.

According to a statement from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASC), these electronic IDs were issued to eight various types of vehicles, included heavy duty trucks, vehicles used to transport hazardous items and school buses.

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The pilot project could help in the advancement of autonomous driving, which requires real-time data communication between vehicles and traffic infrastructures. The electronic markers in the IDs use radio-frequency identification along with traffic monitoring equipment.

The CASC said that should the project prove successful, it will be expanded to all the private cars in the city, according to Reuters.

Official Proposals

Some experts have submitted proposals on ways to improve these identification system in various ways.

Great Wall Motor's general manager Wang Fengying, for instance, proposed that specific cards be issued to identify each type of vehicle based on its fuel consumption. In the proposal that Wang filed on Monday, he noted that such cards could make petrol more affordable for fuel-efficient cars.

Wang also proposed a system of taxes and fees where how much a car owner pays is based on how much they drive their respective vehicles.

The head of Shanghai's Environmental Protection Bureau also suggested a new electronic license plate system on Tuesday, according to Shanghai Daily.

The Bureau's director Zhang Quan said that a new electronic license plate system should be adopted as it will help authorities to recognize and determine vehicles from a distance.

The said technology has been tried in Jiangsu province in eastern China. It is also scheduled for trial in Beijing in May this year.

“With an electronic license plate system,” Zhang explained, “it will be easy to detect polluting vehicles as soon as they enter the city.”

TagsGreat Wall Motor, Wang Fengying, Zhang Quan, Environmental protection bureau, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, Pollution