China wants to lead autonomous driving technology and for that announced that it has given the green light to a first group of nine companies in the automotive sector to conduct tests on vehicles with advanced autonomous driving technologies on public roads.
According to the statement from the Ministry of Industry of the Chinese government, the goal is to accelerate the adoption of level three autonomous driving vehicles, which will be carried out by brands such as BYD and Nio, as well as state-owned manufacturers Changan Automobile, GAC, and SAIC.
The automotive industry has defined five levels of autonomous driving, ranging from driver assistance features like cruise control at level one, to fully autonomous vehicles without driver interference at level five.
The Chinese government has already published the guidelines of the national program last November, to begin accepting applications from companies wishing to launch vehicles equipped with fully autonomous driving technology for mass adoption.
The plan stipulates that drivers of the vehicles involved in the tests may take their hands off the wheel, with the car manufacturers involved in the tests assuming responsibility for safety.
In addition, the Chinese government believes that these now approved tests will pave the way for further commercialization of more advanced autonomous driving technologies.
For the leaders of the brands that will test fully autonomous vehicles, these tests are seen as another step towards allowing level three autonomous driving vehicles to be sold and used by individual buyers and fleet operators.
According to “Reuters”, about 10 companies in the automotive sector, including Huawei and Xpeng, already offer level two autonomous driving in their models in China, which requires the driver to remain attentive and keep their hands on the wheel.
