Ahead of $3m global mobility challenge
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has completed a series of field evaluations on autonomous transport technologies in China, as part of preparations for the 4th Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, set to take place from September 24-25, 2025.
Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport 2025, which carries a prize pool of $3 million, aims to identify the most advanced and practical autonomous mobility solutions for future deployment in the UAE.
A Dubai RTA technical team, joined by autonomous transport industry experts and jury panel members, visited four Chinese cities—Guangzhou, Xi’an, Guiyang, and Suzhou—to test autonomous vehicles submitted by international consortia for the 2025 Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport. The assessments took place in both controlled and real-world traffic environments, offering insight into how the technologies might perform on Dubai’s roads.
Five autonomous vehicles from various categories were selected for testing. These included a robotaxi, two robobuses, an autonomous marine vessel, and a self-driving logistics vehicle. Each vehicle was subjected to a rigorous evaluation process using high-precision tools and standardised test scenarios developed by the Dubai RTA.
The field trials were divided into three main test types. The first, known as Standstill Tests, evaluated the stationary performance of each vehicle. These included checks on sensor coverage, blind spot detection, emergency protocols, and mobile application integration.
The second type, Mixed Traffic Tests, involved public-road driving to assess each vehicle’s performance in actual traffic. Tests included speed adjustment, overtaking, reaction to road signals, and navigation through roundabouts. For the marine vehicle, assessments focused on vessel detection and manoeuvrability within a port setting.
The third test, Dedicated Tests, took place in controlled environments. These focused on specific operational capabilities such as interaction with pedestrians, remote control functionality, and stop-and-go navigation. Each land vehicle underwent three tests in this category, while marine and logistics vehicles completed seven.
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According to Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the Dubai RTA and head of the 2025 Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport’s organising committee, the visit by the Dubai RTA technical team, autonomous transport industry experts and jury panel members to China sought to ensure technical alignment with Dubai’s mobility strategy while also fostering potential long-term partnerships.
The Dubai RTA team met with engineers and managers at the headquarters, control centres, and production facilities of the participating firms, seeking to understand each company’s operational capacity and innovation ecosystem.
The evaluations were conducted with support from consulting firms Arthur D. Little and FEV Consulting, alongside specialists in autonomous vehicle systems. The nine-member Dubai RTA team used the observations to assess technical readiness, user safety, and the potential for future integration into Dubai’s mobility network.
The Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport is part of a broader effort by Dubai to advance autonomous mobility in line with its smart Dubai strategy. The emirate has set a target to convert 25 per cent of all transport trips to smart and driverless systems by 2030.
Co-located with the challenge, the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport 2025 will take place from September 24-25. Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, the event will bring together global experts, policymakers, researchers, and technology developers to discuss the future of autonomous transport.
Dubai’s approach reflects a growing regional interest in next-generation mobility. The Arabian Gulf states, with their infrastructure investment capacity and urban planning ambitions, are increasingly positioning themselves as testbeds for autonomous transport technologies.
Hero image: A Dubai RTA technical team, joined by autonomous transport industry experts and jury panel members, visited China to test autonomous vehicles submitted by international consortia for the 2025 Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport. Credit: Dubai RTA
