WeRide, a Chinese autonomous vehicle company, has been authorized to test its driverless vehicles with passengers in California, ahead of its IPO on the US stock market. However, concerns about national security and potential bans on Chinese-connected vehicles may hinder its progress. Despite this, WeRide has been granted permits to test its vehicles with passengers in San Jose and surrounding areas, but is not yet authorized to charge for rides. The company has been conducting autonomous vehicle tests without passengers since 2021 and has accumulated significantly fewer miles than competitors like Waymo.
