Car manufacturers such as Tesla and Nio will now have to clarify how 'self-driving' their cars are. The authorities will also ban misleading advertising and test driving on public roads.
China is tightening regulations for the marketing of self-driving technology in cars. The country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has introduced a ban on misleading advertising.
This means that car manufacturers like Tesla and Nio can no longer freely use certain popular terms to describe their cars as 'self-driving'.
At the same time, it is now made illegal to test beta versions of the software on public roads, CarNews China reports.
The race to develop self-driving cars has entered a new phase. A few years ago, many experts expected the technology to be decades away.
But development has accelerated, and several car manufacturers have begun to market their assistance systems aggressively. And even though they are far from making cars capable of driving themselves.
Often, fancy words are used, even though no current systems are fully self-driving. A well-known example is Tesla's system, which has been marketed for a long time under the name "Full Self Driving".
This has happened even though the function has never been able to drive a car on its own. Not even in the US, where the authorities are in many ways more lenient with what car manufacturers can get permission to do.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is now banning the use of vague and misleading claims, including terms such as "smart driving" and "autonomous driving."
The term "intelligent driving" may no longer be used indiscriminately in advertisements for driver assistance systems.
One of the manufacturers directly affected is Nio. They have so far marketed their system as "intelligent driving".
Nio and other automakers must now adjust their marketing materials in China to comply with the new regulations.
SAE levels and test driving are limited
In future, car manufacturers will have to clearly and distinctly state the level of their systems. This must be done according to the internationally recognized SAE scale. The scale goes from level zero to level five.
The SAE scale is used to classify the degree of driving automation. Level zero means that the car has no driver assistance features.
Only at level five is a car truly fully self-driving without the need for a driver.
There are currently no cars on the market that achieve level five. Mercedes is the only car manufacturer that currently has a system approved for level 3. This allows the driver to let go of the steering wheel and do other things under certain conditions.
Mercedes' Level 3 system has limitations, however. It only works on selected motorway sections and at lower speeds. The technology is still undergoing rapid development across the industry.
The new Chinese regulations also include a ban on public beta tests of autonomous systems, especially tests that customers can participate in by downloading updates for their cars.
Consequences after accident and fewer updates
Features like Tesla's "Smart Summon" will also be banned from public testing. With Smart Summon, the car can drive itself to the owner or park without a driver behind the wheel. Authorities want more control over these types of features.
MIIT will also generally reduce manufacturers' ability to send software updates to cars over the internet (OTA).
This is likely to ensure more stable and thoroughly tested systems before they reach car owners. Fewer, but more thorough updates are planned.
The significant tightening in China comes just weeks after a serious accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 self-driving prototype killed three people. The accident and the car's systems are under investigation.
Although the accident involved a Xiaomi, the new rules apply to all car manufacturers in the Chinese market.
The purpose is to increase road safety and create greater clarity and transparency for consumers about the cars' actual level of driver assistance.
The development of self-driving cars and electric car technology continues at a rapid pace around the world. But not everyone believes that we will see cars that drive themselves right away.
The tech giant is among the biggest critics of the technology. And even though the company is actually helping several car brands develop systems in that direction. Read more about it here .
