China understands the insecurities that come with self-driving vehicles, but it seems like it still wants the whole idea to be part of our daily lives. Cars are evolving more quickly than ever before on roads all across the world. Smart devices, sensors, and lines of code that promise to improve travel times and increase road safety now ride alongside drivers. Although many people are delighted about the prospect of cars that can partially or even completely drive themselves, it has also brought up difficult issues like safety, trust, and our level of readiness for this technological advance.
China has been polishing up new safety rules for driver-assistance systems
China’s automakers are outpacing and moving forward ahead of their foreign rivals in their push for assisted-driving technology, eager to woo motorists hungry for rapid innovation. Yet, Beijing has a nuanced message for its rising stars: move fast, but be careful. Regulators this week have been finalising new safety rules for driver-assistance systems as Beijing sharpens scrutiny of the technology following an accident involving a Xiaomi 1810.HK SU7 sedan in March.
That incident killed three occupants when their car crashed seconds after the driver took control from the assisted-driving system. While Chinese officials want to prevent carmakers from overselling the capabilities of such systems, they are also threading the needle between innovation and safety to ensure their automakers don’t lose out to U.S. and European rivals.
A call for caution and a push for innovation
New guidelines for the creation and implementation of assisted-driving features have been released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to officials, the nation wants to continue leading the world in smart car technology without endangering pedestrians and driving needlessly. They are trying to strike a balance between safety and innovation.
While this call was happening, a young man, 28 years of age, out of curiosity, bought a Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle equipped with smart technology in Beijing last October. The vehicle did everything, turning, braking and accelerating on its own. It was a new experience for him, and this is what he said:
“I have faith in the car. The functions work as designed (but) they just don’t feel natural.”
There is a mix of feelings and opinions, but still, China wants to push for this initiative
Setting clear regulations for assisted-driving tech without slowing its advancement could give China’s industry an edge over global competitors, analysts say. This approach is in stark contrast to the U.S. market, where companies pursuing autonomous cars have expressed frustration that the government has not implemented a regulatory system to validate and test the technology.
Current Chinese regulations allow systems that automatically steer, brake and accelerate under certain conditions while requiring the driver to stay engaged. Markus Muessig, auto industry lead at Accenture Greater China, said China’s regulators and industries have long followed former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s said,
“Feel the stones to cross the river” philosophy. The expression means to steadily explore new, uncertain technologies, which “has proven very successful for this market.”
Beijing still hopes to resume such tests this year and approve the country’s first Level 3 car in 2026, the source said. China’s Ministry of Industry of Information Technology and Changsha did not respond to requests for comment. Xiaomi has said it is cooperating with a police investigation into the accident. Driver-assistance systems are seen by industry analysts as the next big battleground in China’s hyper-competitive car market. Whatever the outcome will be, this balance will not be easy, and maybe there just needs to be a driver behind the steering wheel just to be fully safe.
GCN.com/Reuters.