This year, the autonomous driving sector has experienced remarkable growth. After two vehicle models received the green light for road use at the close of last year, a number of companies have successfully obtained testing permits this year. These permits come with higher maximum testing speeds and a broader range of testing scenarios, propelling autonomous vehicles closer to becoming viable products on our roads. Concurrently, the establishment of regulatory frameworks is keeping pace with this rapid advancement.

In September, the '15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicle Industry' was unveiled. Prior to this, mandatory national standards tailored for Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicles were ratified. Moreover, the Road Traffic Safety Law was amended to include, for the first time, a specific section dedicated to autonomous driving. The three pillars of policy, standards, and legislation are advancing hand-in-hand, with the institutional framework gradually taking form.

Industry experts are of the opinion that the crux of transitioning autonomous driving from obtaining 'road permission' to large-scale commercialization rests not in surmounting technical hurdles, but rather in transforming the policy, standard, and legal frameworks.