Mercedes-Benz has received authorization to test Level 4 (L4) autonomous vehicles in Beijing, becoming the first international car brand to obtain such permission in the Chinese capital. This follows the approval for Level 3 (L3) testing granted late last year.
The new testing phase will cover city roads, highways, and expressways. The trials aim to examine the multi-sensor perception capabilities of advanced autonomous driving systems and their performance under extreme conditions, focusing on the integration of perception and regulation.
L4 autonomous vehicles are capable of completing driving tasks in most scenarios without driver intervention. In urban environments, these vehicles can perform complex maneuvers such as parking, making U-turns, navigating roundabouts, and executing unprotected left turns. On highways, the vehicles can automatically change lanes when encountering slower traffic and navigate through toll booths autonomously. In extreme situations, they are designed to find a safe place to stop on their own.
This advancement follows Beijing’s issuance of administrative rules for road testing vehicles with conditional autonomous driving functions on December 16, 2023. Mercedes-Benz subsequently received approval to conduct L3 autonomous driving road tests on Beijing’s highways on December 18.
China’s autonomous driving classification system, effective since March 2022, includes six levels. Levels 0-2 are considered driver assistance, requiring human drivers to perform driving tasks. Levels 3-5 are classified as autonomous driving, where the system is responsible for driving tasks.
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