China Approves Automated-Driving Tests --- BYD, NIO are among the first carmakers authorized to try out technology on roads

"BYD and NIO are among the first few automakers to win approval from Chinese regulators to test their automated driving technology on roads.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said late Tuesday that it has approved a list of nine automakers, including manufacturers of trucks and passenger cars, whose automated driving technology can be tested on certain Chinese roads. BYD, NIO and Chongqing Changan Automobile are among those on the list.

The approval means the automakers can test automated driving functions in certain areas in approved cities. Seven cities were approved, including the biggest cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

However, the automakers need to conduct test and safety evaluations before they can carry out actual testing on roads, the ministry said in a separate statement.

This is the first time that Chinese authorities approved testing for level 3 and level 4 automated driving technologies in China. Both levels mean that cars can go beyond assisted driving and are able to make informed driving decisions with limited human intervention.

"Being able to test for L3 technology is the starting point of autonomous driving," BYD said in a statement. The approval can hasten the application of automated driving technology, it added.

"It can help these automakers gather real road data in China for advancing their L3 and L4 auto-driving technology," Bocom International auto analyst Angus Chan said.

The approval shows the government's commitment to conduct a larger scale of testing for automated driving in the country, Chan added.

Chinese automakers have become competitive in advanced driving technology this year. Tesla's full self-driving technology has yet to be approved in China, while XPeng and Huawei-backed Seres, two automakers which are leading the auto-driving technology in China, didn't make it to the list of carmakers approved to carry out automated driving tests on roads." [1]

1. China Approves Automated-Driving Tests --- BYD, NIO are among the first carmakers authorized to try out technology on roads. Huang, Jiahui.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 06 June 2024: B.4.