Hungarian Smart Road Is a World Leader Indeed

When the smart highway developed by BME experts on the M1-M7 joint section was covered on bme.hu, it was labelled as one of the smartest roads in the world. The cautious wording seemed justified at the time, as there was no reliable information about the capabilities of similar systems already in operation in China.

Well, we are better informed now, and for that not even a real-time digital twin created with the help of sensors and artificial intelligence models was needed – just a trip to China. Three researchers from the Department of Automotive Technologies, namely, Head of Department Zsolt Szalay, András Rövid, and Zsolt Vincze, conducted a comprehensive study visit to China in July to learn about developments in the intelligent transport infrastructure, and deepen cooperation with the City University of Hong Kong.

Their main conclusion was that though Chinese smart roads cover far greater distances than the digital twin-based section in Hungary – currently 800 meters long, soon to be expanded to 1.5 kilometers –, the latter outperforms the Chinese systems in both precision and real-time performance.

This observation confirms that

the model developed by BME is the most advanced intelligent road system not only in Europe, but also globally and serves as an international benchmark.

It can therefore rightly be called the smartest highway section in the world.

Hong Kong: Teleoperation Breakthroughs

Invited by the City University of Hong Kong, the BME delegation reaffirmed an existing research collaboration. The teleoperation system used in Hong Kong is powered by technology developed at BME and recent improvements have reduced response latency below 10 milliseconds using a local server — an exceptionally low delay even by global standards. Two new joint project proposals were also outlined during the visit.

The CityU leadership — including Michael Yang, vice president for innovation and entrepreneurship and professor Johnny Ho — introduced the HKtech300 program, which supports research-driven technology startups with investments equivalent to approximately 100,000 EUR. The program is open to international partners and future joint patent applications with BME are also on the agenda.

BYD, Tsinghua, CICV

At the Shenzhen headquarters of BYD, Vice President Luo Zhongliang and the future director of the Hungary based plant confirmed that they are actively seeking MSc and PhD students for their Budapest R&D base and are open to launching a collaborative program proposed by BME.

At Beijing’s National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Innovation Center (CICV), experts responded positively to the technological solutions implemented on the M1–M7 section, stating that they are aiming to reach a similar level. At Tsinghua University, Zsolt Szalay’s lecture attracted great interest, particularly in the topics of digital twin technology and autonomous drifting — areas where Chinese professors acknowledged that Hungary has a truly unique approach.

Autonomous Vehicles in Real-World Traffic

In Beijing and Suzhou, the BME researchers encountered various smart transport solutions where autonomous vehicles are already operating in real urban traffic. These included buses and shuttle vehicles that alternated between relying on their own sensors and external infrastructure signals. The one in Suzhou had the most advanced digital twin model.

Training Future Engineers and Autonomous Luxury Vehicles

At Chongqing University, the team was introduced to cutting-edge research in the automation of land, air, and water-based vehicles. Meanwhile, a visit to the Seres Automotive factory showcased the production of Huawei-powered AITO luxury vehicles. The delegation rode in the M9 flagship model on a fully autonomous 25-minute journey from the factory to the airport. The vehicle successfully handled two unexpected traffic scenarios.

Rector's Office, Communications Directorate