China out to drive new economic growth by accelerating autonomous vehicle trial
- Manufacturers, including BYD and Nio, have been approved to test autonomous driving and other technologies on restricted roads
China will allow leading carmakers to test autonomous driving and other technologies on restricted roads, marking a step forward to transform its 10 trillion yuan (US$1.4 trillion) industry, while also highlighting a huge market for future economic growth.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and three other government agencies jointly announced on Tuesday the approval for nine manufacturers, including the world’s top electric vehicle producer BYD, as well as Nio, Changan Automobile and GAC Motor, to test level three autonomous driving systems.
“This pilot programme can accelerate the mass production and application of smart internet-connected vehicle products, drive the integration of automotive, new energy, artificial intelligence, information and communication industries,” the MIIT statement said.
A level three licence, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers International, allows a car to be conditionally self-driving without human intervention unless in case of an emergency. The scale ranges from fully human-driven at level zero to fully autonomous at level five.
The ministry highlighted that the current stage completes only the selection phase for pilot applications, and does not signify approval or permission for autonomous vehicles to operate on the road.
With the pilot programme approved, manufacturers would use data to enhance autonomous driving technologies, establish industry standards and assist governments with related legislation, regulation and infrastructure development, MIIT said.
