MIIT: Launching pilot projects for the access and on-road passage of intelligent connected vehicles, with BYD, NIO, and 7 other car companies entering the pilot list

On June 4, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other departments orderly carried out the pilot project for the access and on-road passage of intelligent connected vehicles, and identified a consortium of 9 participants.

Among them, Changan, BYD, GAC, SAIC, BAIC Blue Valley, FAW, SAIC Hongyan, Yutong Bus, and NIO are the 9 automotive companies that have entered the pilot project for the access and on-road passage of intelligent connected vehicles.

At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology pointed out that the pilot project is divided into five stages: pilot application, product access pilot, on-road passage pilot, pilot suspension and exit, evaluation and adjustment. Currently, only the selection in the pilot application stage has been completed, which does not mean that intelligent connected vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities have obtained access permits or are allowed to be on the road. The four departments will guide the consortium entering the pilot project to carry out the pilot implementation work.

Previously, companies obtained L3 testing licenses mainly for product development processes through actual road testing. According to the requirements of the notification, intelligent connected vehicle products with autonomous driving capabilities should meet the testing verification requirements of simulation, closed-site, actual road, etc., with actual road testing being one of the important pillars of product autonomous driving system safety testing verification.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also stated that through the pilot project, it will accelerate the mass production and application of intelligent connected vehicle products, driving the integration of the automotive industry with new energy, artificial intelligence, information communication, and other industries.

The following is the text of the notification:

In accordance with the relevant work arrangements of the "Notice on Carrying Out the Pilot Work of Access and On-road Passage of Intelligent Connected Vehicles" (MIIT Unicom Zhuang [2023] No. 217), after voluntary application by automotive production enterprises and user entities forming a consortium, approval by the city where the vehicles are intended to operate, and recommendation review by the provincial competent authorities, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Transport (referred to as the "four departments") organized experts to conduct preliminary review and selective evaluation of the proposals submitted for the first centralized application, and identified 9 consortia to enter the pilot project (basic information see the attachment).

Next, the four departments will orderly promote the implementation of the pilot project in accordance with the overall requirements and work objectives, accumulate management experience based on empirical evidence from the pilot project, support the revision of relevant laws and regulations, technical standards, accelerate the improvement of the intelligent connected vehicle production access and road traffic safety management system, and promote the high-quality development of China's intelligent connected new energy vehicle industry.

The following is a Q&A on the pilot work of access and on-road passage of intelligent connected vehicles:

I. What is the application process and selection process for the pilot project?

Application process. Automotive production enterprises and user entities form a consortium, refer to the "Implementation Guidelines for the Pilot Implementation of Access and On-road Passage of Intelligent Connected Vehicles" (referred to as the "Implementation Guidelines"), formulate an application plan, and after approval by the city where the vehicles are intended to operate (including districts under direct jurisdiction of municipalities), voluntarily apply to the provincial competent department of industry and information technology. After the provincial competent department reviews the application plan, it is submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Selection process. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Transport (hereinafter referred to as the "four departments") organized experts to conduct preliminary review and selective evaluation of the application proposals in accordance with the "Notice on Carrying Out Pilot Projects for the Access and On-road Operation of Intelligent Connected Vehicles" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"). During the application process, the guidelines for the access and on-road operation of intelligent connected vehicles were publicly released to automobile manufacturers. In the preliminary review process, technical experts evaluated the application proposals of the consortium, focusing on ensuring that the consortium's application proposals selected for selective evaluation were comprehensive and without any deficiencies. In the selective evaluation process, feedback on the preliminary review opinions was provided to the consortium applying for the pilot, and the selective defense outline was announced. An expert group composed of academicians, industry-renowned experts, etc., was formed to focus on evaluating the comprehensive capabilities of the consortium, product testing and safety assessment plans, city conditions for vehicle operation, safety control measures, and expected effects of the pilot. The expert group independently evaluated based on the consortium's defense and response to inquiries.

Based on the overall opinions of the experts, the four departments, considering factors such as product categories, characteristics of cities where vehicles operate, the declared autonomous driving functions, and the testing and demonstration bases of the companies, after completing the relevant procedures, determined the first batch of consortia to enter the pilot.

2. Does the designation of the "consortium entering the pilot" by the four departments mean allowing intelligent connected vehicles with autonomous driving functions to be on the road?

The implementation of the pilot is divided into five stages, namely pilot application, product access pilot, on-road operation pilot, pilot suspension and exit, evaluation and adjustment. Currently, only the selection of the pilot application stage has been completed, which does not mean that intelligent connected vehicles with autonomous driving functions have obtained access permits or are allowed to be on the road. Next, the four departments will guide the consortiums entering the pilot to carry out the pilot implementation work.

The first stage is the product access pilot, which includes product access testing and safety assessment, and product access permit. Automobile manufacturers entering the pilot need to refine and improve the product access testing and safety assessment plans. After confirmation by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security, under the supervision of the provincial competent authorities and the city government departments where the vehicles operate, the automobile manufacturers will carry out product access testing and safety assessment. After passing the product access testing and safety assessment, and meeting the mandatory inspection requirements for road motor vehicle products, the automobile manufacturers will submit a product access application to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. After acceptance, review, and public announcement by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, a decision will be made on whether to grant access. If access is granted, restrictions such as access validity period and implementation area will be set.

Intelligent connected vehicle products that have obtained access will be registered by the public security traffic management department and will conduct on-road operation pilots within the designated area. For those engaged in transportation operations, they must also have the corresponding operating qualifications and meet the operational management requirements. The users, automobile manufacturers, and city government departments where the vehicles operate should carry out emergency response work in accordance with relevant requirements.

1. After this centralized application, how will subsequent pilot applications be handled?

In response to this centralized application, relevant automobile manufacturers actively participated in the application with voluntary consortiums, while some automobile manufacturers with certain technical foundations did not participate in this centralized application. Automobile manufacturers or users who did not apply or did not enter the pilot this time can refer to the "Implementation Guidelines" to further strengthen capacity building, enhance product functions and performance levels, and voluntarily apply to the provincial competent authorities for the pilot application process Provincial industrial and information technology authorities may supplement the application plan to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology based on the development of intelligent connected vehicle technology and industry, pilot implementation, and the situation of joint application.

1. What are the expected effects of the pilot work?

First, to guide intelligent connected vehicle manufacturers and users to strengthen capacity building, systematically promote technological innovation, large-scale development, and industrial ecosystem construction of intelligent connected vehicles. Second, based on pilot evidence, accelerate the formation of a comprehensive, practical, and efficient legal regulations, management policies, and standards system, speed up the support capacity building such as intelligent connected vehicle testing and safety assessment, and lay a solid foundation for the large-scale promotion and application of intelligent connected vehicles. Third, accelerate the formation of a horizontal and vertical safety management mechanism among various departments and regions, explore a more systematic and comprehensive supporting policies and infrastructure for intelligent connected vehicle product research, development, production, on-road passage, and environmental construction, and provide support and guarantee for the safe operation of intelligent connected vehicle products. Fourth, through the pilot, accelerate the mass application of intelligent connected vehicle products, drive the integration of automobiles with new energy, artificial intelligence, information communication, and other industries, create new productive forces, and promote the high-quality development of intelligent connected new energy vehicles.

1. What is the relationship between the previous acquisition of L3 testing license by companies and this pilot?

Previously, based on the "Regulations on Road Testing and Demonstration Application Management of Intelligent Connected Vehicles (Trial)", companies obtained corresponding testing licenses mainly for product research and development, verifying the safety of products in actual road traffic operating environments through actual road testing. Sufficient product research and development testing verification is an important foundation for subsequent mass production and application of products, and also an important basis for this pilot. According to the "Opinions on Strengthening the Management of Intelligent Connected Vehicle Manufacturers and Product Access" and the requirements of this "Notice", intelligent connected vehicle products with autonomous driving functions should meet the requirements of simulation, closed-site, actual road testing verification, among which, actual road testing is one of the important pillars of product autonomous driving system safety testing verification. For the joint entities determined to enter the pilot, automobile manufacturers need to further detail and improve the product access testing and safety assessment plan, and under multi-party supervision, carry out testing and safety assessment work as required.

1. What is the difference between the product access testing and safety assessment plan and the application plan?

The application plan is the material prepared by the joint entity in the pilot application stage, in accordance with the requirements of the "Notice" and with reference to the "Implementation Guidelines", focusing on the research and development perspective, explaining the satisfaction of conditions such as automobile manufacturers and products, users, and the city where the vehicle operates in the "Implementation Guidelines", and providing supporting materials, which are the basis for the pilot application and selection. In the product access pilot, automobile manufacturers need to further combine the requirements of the "Implementation Guidelines" and expert review opinions, detail and improve the testing and safety assessment plan, carry out product access testing and safety assessment work under the supervision of the provincial competent authorities and city government departments after confirmation by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology entrusts technical service agencies to track and evaluate the product access testing and safety assessment work, and introduces a safety monitoring and reporting mechanism. The product access testing and safety assessment plan and implementation results will serve as the application materials for product access 7. What is the difference between the pilot projects for access and on-road passage and the "vehicle-road-cloud integration" pilot projects?

The pilot projects for access and on-road passage are voluntarily declared by a consortium composed of automobile manufacturers and users. Access and on-road passage pilot projects are carried out by selecting intelligent connected vehicle products that meet the criteria. The work objectives of the pilot projects are, on one hand, to guide intelligent connected vehicle manufacturers and users to strengthen capacity building, promote product functionality and performance improvement, and iterate and optimize the industry ecosystem while ensuring safety. On the other hand, based on the empirical accumulation of pilot projects, support the revision of relevant laws, regulations, and technical standards, accelerate the improvement of the intelligent connected vehicle production access and road traffic safety management system. At the same time, coordinate development and safety, effectively address the risks that may arise from the application of autonomous driving technology, and promote the high-quality development of the intelligent connected new energy vehicle industry.

The "vehicle-road-cloud integration" pilot projects are initiated by cities, aiming to carry out the construction of intelligent roadside infrastructure and cloud control basic platforms, establish a unified vehicle-road collaborative technical standard and testing evaluation system, enhance road traffic safety capabilities, promote large-scale demonstration applications, and explore new business models