Mar.1, China – The recommended national standard (GB/T40429-2021) of Automobile Driving Automation classification jointly issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and Standardisation Administration was formally implemented.
In recent years, China has paid more and more attention to the management of automobile driving automation. Before, the autonomous driving levels lacked a precise definition. Customers are often confused or even misled by companies’ descriptions about their cars’ autonomous driving capabilities.
This standard aims to solve the standardisation problem of automobile driving automation classification in China.
Specific standards published by China
It is reported that the standard stipulates the classification of automobile driving automation into 6 levels, with level 0-2 being driver assistance and 3-5 for autonomous driving. The specific regulations are posted below:
Level 0-emergency assistance:
- the driving subject remains the driver, the system only serves as assistance during dynamic driving tasks
- The system is able to continuously perform partial target and event detection and response but not lateral or longitudinal vehicle motion control continuously during dynamic driving tasks.
Level 1-partial driver assistance:
- A system that, under the operating conditions of its design, is able to continuously perform lateral or longitudinal vehicle motion control, detect and respond to partial objectives in a dynamic driving task.
- The controller is still the driver but not the system.
Level 2-combined driver assistance:
- This system has all the abilities of a level 1 system, but the controller for continuous lateral and longitudinal vehicle motion control is the system but not the driver.
- It only operates under the conditions for which it is designed to operate, and only performs lateral and longitudinal vehicle motion control.
Level 3-conditionally automated driving:
- On top of level 2, this system continuously performs all dynamic driving tasks under its designed operating conditions.
- After being ordered, it can take over the driver’s position and automatically perform driving.
Level 4- highly automated driving
- This system continuously performs all dynamic driving tasks and automatically implements a minimal risk strategy.
Level 5- fully automated driving
- The system continuously performs all dynamic driving tasks under any drivable condition and automatically executes a minimal risk strategy.
The influence on the domestic car market
Currently, the domestic car market has given autopilot too much excessive publicity, passing consumers a misconception that “automatic driving ability is equal to the vehicle’s comprehensive strength”.
This causes consumers to lack the awareness and use of autonomous driving and further results in frequent traffic accidents caused by improper use in the actual car use process.
Companies like XPeng are facing a dilemma in their autopilot technology development.
After this regulation, practitioners in the automobile market would describe their products more realistically. This prevents the consumers from being deceived.
More information about driving automation, see also:
