On December 27, BYD recently announced an important achievement: they successfully obtained the first conditional automatic driving (L3 level) test license for high-speed road sections in China in Shenzhen. This important milestone marks BYD's leading position in autonomous driving technology and shows China's rapid progress in the development of smart car technology.
The acquisition of this test license is not accidental. It is the result of rigorous testing and comprehensive review by national certification bodies. During the judging process, a number of factors were considered, including the reliability of autonomous driving functions, traffic safety management, road conditions, and the traffic carrying capacity of the road sections. This set of evaluation criteria ensures the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles on the road, laying the foundation for wider adoption in the future.
According to ITBEAR technology information, BYD mentioned when explaining the level of autonomous driving that the SAE (International Society of Automaton Engineers) classification standard is an authoritative standard in the industry. Under this standard, Level 2 and Level 3 are the key cut-off points for the level of intelligent driving of automobiles. Level 2 and below emphasize assisted driving functions, while Level 3 begins to take over some driving decisions and enable autonomous driving under certain conditions. This stage of autonomous driving technology has been a substantial step forward, although it is conditionally limited.
SAE's classification further breaks down the functional scope of Level 2 to Level 4, indicating that these levels of autonomous driving can complete some driving tasks in certain situations. But in these levels, the driver still needs to be ready to take over control of the vehicle at all times. BYD stressed that true fully autonomous driving can only be achieved when it reaches Level 5. Although this goal will take time, BYD is full of confidence in the future.
In addition to BYD, other car companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Zhiji, Jihu, Deep Blue and AVATR have also obtained test licenses for autonomous driving (Level 3). This shows that autonomous driving technology is developing rapidly among many domestic and foreign automakers, and may soon become the focus of a new round of technological innovation.
According to Beijing's testing standards, all vehicles applying for an autonomous driving test license must undergo a series of rigorous tests. These tests include not only exams on closed grounds, but also a comprehensive assessment of the vehicle's performance in real-world road conditions. The assessment covers compliance with traffic rules, the ability to perform autonomous driving, and the ability to take over manually in an emergency. Only vehicles that meet certain standards in all these aspects and have passed the technical vehicle safety inspection will be allowed to be tested on the road. This set of stringent standards guarantees the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles, laying a solid foundation for a wider range of commercial applications in the future.