China has announced its plans to support the commercial application of Level 3 and higher autonomous driving systems, as part of a larger effort to advance the growth of intelligent connected vehicles, according to the nation’s top industry regulator on Wednesday.
Vice-Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin stated that the ministry will introduce new guidance on intelligent connected vehicle standards in the coming months. Additionally, the ministry aims to expedite the formulation of standards related to the integration of new energy vehicles with communication and information technology, intelligent transportation, and smart cities.
At present, autonomous driving is classified into six levels, ranging from Level 0 to Level 5, with higher levels indicating more advanced technology. Level 3, or conditional automation, signifies that a vehicle can operate autonomously under specific conditions.
Vice-Minister Xin also noted that increased efforts will be directed towards achieving breakthroughs in vital self-driving technologies, such as chips, high-precision sensors, and operating systems. The construction of intelligent transportation infrastructure will also be accelerated.
