On Monday, China granted the first road permits for two models of electric saloon cars equipped with level 3 autonomous driving, marking the first time in history that the country has allowed such advanced vehicles to operate on public roads.
The models were developed by car manufacturers. Changan Automobile a BAIC Motor under the Arcfox brand, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The Changan vehicle can drive autonomously in a single lane at speeds of up to 50 km/h in traffic jams and is approved for operation on specific sections of motorways and urban expressways in south-western China, specifically in Chongqing.
The Arcfox vehicle is permitted to drive autonomously at speeds of up to 80 km/h on designated sections of motorways and urban expressways in Beijing.
Autonomous driving is divided into six levels, from Level 0 to Level 5. The higher the level, the more advanced and intelligent the technology. Unlike Level 2 assisted driving, where the vehicle can control direction and speed on its own but the driver must constantly monitor the road situation, Level 3 vehicles can drive autonomously in specific scenarios. However, when the system prompts the driver to take control, the driver must be ready to immediately take control of the vehicle.
In recent years, China has been promoting the development and implementation of autonomous vehicles. In September, the country issued a working plan that sets out conditional approval for the production of Level-3 vehicles.
Developers of autonomous systems such as Pony AI a WeRide are testing Level-4 vehicles with licences granted by local governments across China. The system Tesla Full Self-Driving is still classified as Level 2 in China and has only received partial approval so far.
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