China sets ‘critical' rules to corral safe self-driving EVs after Xiaomi's fatal crash
Caution came as China's level 2 driving automation system 'has entered a critical period of large-scale application'. — SCMP
An organisation representing China's biggest carmakers has urged its members to enhance driving safety and avoid exaggerating the capabilities of their self-navigating systems, following a fatal crash involving Xiaomi's SU7 electric vehicle (EV) last month.
Carmakers should improve product safety designs and develop effective warning systems to alert drivers, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said on Monday in a joint statement with the China Society of Automotive Engineers. The groups outlined several initiatives to guide carmakers in standardising the promotion and application of driver-assistance systems.
The country's EV industry 'has developed rapidly and the combined driver assistance (level 2 driving automation) has entered a critical period of large-scale application', the statement said. The initiatives were aimed at 'building a healthy ecosystem and promoting the safe application of driver assistance products', it added.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) summoned officials from 60 companies to a meeting earlier this month, asking them to fully comply with regulations governing the development of self-driving technologies. The government also warned them not to overstate the role of the driver-assistance systems.
The MIIT told the company representatives that the words 'smart driving', 'advanced smart driving' and 'autonomous driving' could not be used in promoting existing self-driving systems.
In mainland China, most available self-driving systems are classified as either level 2 (L2) or L2+, both of which require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. Beijing has yet to legalise L3 – a 'hands-off' system based on standards set by US-based SAE International. All drivers are required to be fully alert, even with the system turned on.
A Xiaomi SU7 crashed in central Anhui province last month, claiming three lives. The car was travelling at 116km/h on a highway with the driver-assistance system engaged, adding that the system alerted the driver to take over the wheel two seconds before it hit a concrete barrier, the EV maker said.
Some analysts said the accident should not be viewed in isolation, as it pointed to the widespread use of navigation on autopilot (NOA) in mainland China and the lack of understanding of the system's role and the related rules and regulations among drivers.
'Millions of drivers need to be educated to properly use the NOA systems,' said David Zhang, general secretary of the International Intelligent Vehicle Engineering Association. 'They have to be fully alert when the system is turned on, and the drivers are still responsible for their own and passengers' safety.'
The automobile association also called on its members to strictly follow MIIT's Automobile Driving Automation Classification to shun false advertising and exaggerated marketing, avoid vague or misleading wording and prevent the risk of driver misuse and abuse of such technologies.
The automakers should also better inform consumers about basic system information, correct usage methods and emergency response procedures regarding their self-driving technologies. This would ensure that users clearly understand the difference between driver assistance and autonomous driving, it added. – South China Morning Post
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