Automakers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and IM Motors have announced that they are authorized to conduct L3 autonomous driving tests after China announced new regulations last month.
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Arcfox and Deepal became the latest brands to be allowed to test vehicles with L3 autonomous driving systems in China, as more car companies announce similar developments.
Arcfox became one of the first companies allowed to conduct L3 autonomous driving tests on Beijing's highways after the city announced on December 16 rules for road testing of vehicles with conditional autonomous driving capabilities, the Beijing Automotive Group-affiliated brand said yesterday.
Before obtaining the license, a carmaker has to go through a process that includes a test at a closed site set up by government authorities, an assessment of autonomous driving capabilities and an expert review, the company said.
Vehicles will need to pass safety and technical inspections before they can be tested on the road, and drivers involved in the tests will have to pass no less than 50 hours of training and coaching to be able to take over autonomous vehicles at any time, according to Arcfox.
The test vehicles need to be installed with supervision facilities and data uploaded to ensure that the autonomous vehicles are tested at the specified time, on the specified road sections, and under supervision at all times, Arcfox said.
Deepal, the new energy vehicle (NEV) division of Changan Automobile, also announced yesterday that it was authorized to conduct L3 autonomous driving road tests on highways and expressways in Chongqing, where it is headquartered.
In its statement, Deepal cautioned that the L3 autonomous driving feature is only on the test vehicles, not on the actual vehicles, and does not represent a commitment to carry it on the production vehicles.
A number of Chinese government departments jointly issued a notice last month allowing cars supporting L3 and L4 autonomous driving to conduct road tests on a pilot basis and clarifying the determination of accident liability for the first time.
Since then, foreign and local car companies, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and IM Motors, have announced that they are authorized to conduct L3 autonomous driving road tests.
Notably, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has not yet announced similar tests in China, although the country's latest policy has raised a lot of expectations.
"[Work to bring FSD to China] is indeed moving forward at the moment," the US EV maker was quoted as saying in a November 22 report by local media outlet China Fund News.
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