The Jiangsu (Wuxi) National Internet of Vehicles Pilot Area Development Summit is held in Wuxi on Dec 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wuxi -- a national pilot area for development of the internet of vehicles (IoV) in eastern China's Jiangsu province -- hosted a summit on the future of IoV development on Dec 4.

Over 400 government leaders, experts, representatives of related enterprises and financial institutions attended the summit to communicate with each other and promote high-quality development of the IoV industry in Wuxi.

The forum also invited various heavyweights in the industry to share their ideas and experiences on IoV development. Five sub-forums on the integrated development of the IoV, 5G and new infrastructure were held as well.

China has long been focused on the development of the IoV, which has been seen as the key to relieving pressure on transportation systems, reducing energy consumption and minimizing carbon emissions.

The automobile industry is one of the important pillar industries in Jiangsu province. To date, Jiangsu has built two national-level intelligent networked vehicle test bases and established the first provincial standardization technical committee in China, according to Chi Yu, deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology.

Chi added that Jiangsu has attracted over 300 IoV enterprises to help build an industrial ecosystem that encompasses technology, standards, products, applications, testing and services.

Boasting a strong industrial base for the internet of things and an advanced information network, Wuxi started working on its IoV sector in 2016, establishing a comprehensive testing base for unmanned vehicles and the IoV.

In 2018, the first city-level IoV LTE-V2X (vehicle-to-everything) application demonstration area was built in Wuxi. Over the past two years, Wuxi has attracted over 80 enterprises working on the IoV and intelligent internet-connected vehicles, including Beijing-based IoV platform operator SiRun.

Officials said that by the end of this year the city will finish transformation and upgrading of infrastructure at 600 intersections, covering an area of 350 square kilometers.

Gao Yaguang, vice mayor of Wuxi, delivers a speech at the summit, Dec 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wuxi Vice-Mayor Gao Yaguang said that the IoV is the specific application of the internet of things (IoT) technology in smart transportation. It is an important part of Wuxi's IoT industrial development and could also help to lay a solid foundation for the construction of a smart city.

Gao added that Wuxi will continue to provide favorable policies and perfect its business environment to attract IoV enterprises to the city.