China Initiates Intelligent Connected Vehicle Pilot: 9 Auto Companies Participate in 7 Cities

On June 4, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Transport of China confirmed the first batch of 9 pilot consortia, including auto companies such as BYD, FAW, CHANGAN, GAC, and NIO. They will launch the pilot programs for the access and on-road travel of intelligent connected vehicles in seven cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. And the pilot products cover passenger cars, buses, and trucks.

The organization and implementation of the pilot program are divided into five stages, which are the pilot application, product access pilot, on-road travel pilot, pilot suspension and exit, evaluation, and adjustment. It is important to note that the selection of pilot applications does not mean that intelligent connected vehicles with autonomous driving functions have obtained access permits or are allowed to travel on the road.

During the pilot process, the product functions, performance, and safety of intelligent connected vehicles will be strictly tested and evaluated. And the pilot results will provide data support for the mass production and promotion of intelligent connected vehicles. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of intelligent connected vehicles, such vehicles possess a high degree of autonomous driving capability and can achieve unmanned driving under certain conditions.