China Approves First Level-3 Autonomous Cars for Mass Adoption
China’s industry regulator on Monday approved two Chinese cars with level-3 autonomous driving capabilities, marking the first time such vehicles have been cleared by the national regulator as legitimate products ready for mass adoption.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved the two electric sedans from state-owned automakers Changan Auto 000625.SZ and BAIC Motor 600733.SS in its latest automobile product entry category.
The two models are allowed to activate conditional autonomous driving in designated areas of Chongqing and Beijing with speed limits of 50km/h and 80km/h, respectively, the ministry said in a statement. The automakers will conduct trial operation with the cars on the specific roads via their ride-hailing units, it added.
The auto industry has defined five levels of autonomous driving, from cruise control at level one to fully self-driving cars at level five, and level three allows drivers to take their eyes and hands off the road in certain situations.
Chinese regulators earlier this year had sharpened scrutiny of the assisted driving technologies following an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in March. That incident killed three occupants when their car crashed seconds after the driver took control from the assisted-driving system.
But government officials are pressing Chinese automakers to rapidly deploy even more advanced systems. In their level-3 push, Chinese regulators also are upping the regulatory ante by holding automakers and parts suppliers liable if their systems fail and cause an accident.
Autonomous driving developers such as Pony AI PONY.O and WeRideWRD.O have been testing their level-4 cars with licenses granted by local governments across China.
