China grants first-ever L3 autonomous driving approvals

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Monday that it has for the first time granted approval for two Level 3 conditionally autonomous passenger car models, signaling a milestone in the country's intelligent and connected vehicle development.

The approvals were given to Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd and a unit of BAIC, which had submitted applications for the market access of intelligent connected vehicles equipped with L3 conditional autonomous driving functions.

After going through the acceptance, technical review, and public notice procedures stipulated by relevant regulations, the ministry said it conditionally approved the models.

The approved models include Changan's SC7000AAARBEV battery-electric sedan, capable of autonomous driving on a single lane of highways and urban expressways under traffic jam conditions, with a maximum speed of 50 km/h. The function is currently restricted to specific sections in Chongqing, including the inner ring expressway, and new inner ring expressway.

The other approved model is Arcfox's BJ7001A61NBEV battery-electric sedan, capable of autonomous driving on highways and urban expressways within a single lane, with a maximum speed of 80 km/h. Its usage is limited to designated expressways in Beijing, including sections of the airport north line expressway, and Beijing Daxing International Airport Expressway.