China to crack down on EV self-driving technology, ‘autonomous driving' claims
China has stepped in to police street tests of
driver-assistance systems , as well as marketing claims about such technologies, after a fatal accident involving a
Xiaomi
electric vehicle (EV) killed three people last month.
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The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) convened officials from 60 companies for a conference in Beijing on Wednesday, urging them to fully comply with regulations governing the development of preliminary
self-driving technologies , it said in a statement on its official website.
The ministry also cautioned the companies not to overstate the role of the assistance systems, it said.
'The meeting and the warnings represent a necessary step by authorities to regulate the market,' said Phate Zhang, founder of Shanghai-based EV data provider CnEVPost. 'Rampant tests of navigation-on-autopilot [NOA] systems on highways and city roads carry high risks because most drivers are still unaware of the basics of autonomous driving.'
Before the accident, regulation on the use of NOA systems was loose amid a 'misperception that the technology had grown mature', Zhang added.
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At the conference, the MIIT – China's top regulator of the manufacturing and information-technology sectors – reiterated that carmakers and technology firms were barred from conducting mass testing of self-driving technologies unless they received approval from relevant authorities, according to a transcript.
They are not allowed to conduct over-the-air (OTA) software updates without official approval either.
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