(Photo/www.my399.com)

A smart electric vehicle using the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system received an enthusiastic response from passengers on March 2 during a test run.

The vehicle, developed by China’s CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Co., Ltd., runs on rubber tires and uses "virtual track following control" technology instead of following conventional rail tracks. It has a turning radius of as low as 15 meters and can carry over 300 passengers.

The three-carriage vehicle is 31.64 meters long and has a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour. To ensure passenger safety, it ran at 30 km per hour during the trial.

Since the vehicle arrived in Harbin in January, it has passed 13 tests under harsh weather conditions and on icy roads. The trial operation began on Feb. 22, lasting for around 10 days. It started carrying passengers on the same date.