China's MIIT supports commercialization of L3+ autonomous driving technologies

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On June 21, the China’s State Council Information Office held a routine press conference to discuss measures aimed at promoting the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle industry. 

During the conference, it was announced that China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) will support the commercial application of conditionally autonomous driving (Level 3 and higher) and release updated guidelines for the intelligent connected vehicle standard system in the near future.

Xin Guobin giving a speech; photo credit:  State Council Information Office of China

Vice Minister of MIIT, Xin Guobin highlighted that compared to electrification, the areas involved in vehicle connectivity and intelligence transformation are broader and more profound, with immense potential for imagination. Going forward, the focus of the MIIT will be on the integrated development of "vehicle-energy-road-cloud," emphasizing three key areas.

Firstly, the MIIT will support key technological breakthroughs. This includes encouraging collaboration among leading enterprises and businesses of all sizes, promoting cross-industry and cross-domain innovation. Innovation is the primary productivity, and efforts should be accelerated in the research and application of critical technologies and new products such as key chips, high-precision sensors, and operating systems.

Secondly, further improvement of the infrastructure for vehicle connectivity is also needed. The development of infrastructure such as C-V2X, roadside perception, and edge computing should be expedited. Establishing a cloud-based control platform with a three-tier architecture of edge, regional, and central clouds is crucial. This will facilitate unified interfaces, data, and communication standards, thereby enhancing network perception and cloud computing capabilities.

The third focus should revolve around advanced testing and demonstration applications. Initiating pilot projects for the admission and on-road operation of intelligent connected vehicles, organizing city-level demonstrations of "vehicle-road-cloud" integration, and supporting the commercial application of conditionally autonomous driving (specifically Level 3 and higher). MIIT has already launched this initiative, with positive responses from local authorities. It is believed that in the near future, more intelligent products will be seen on the roads.

Regarding the promotion of coordinated development in vehicle electrification, connectivity, and intelligence, Xin Guobin stressed the importance of standards development. In the coming period, MIIT will release updated guidelines for the intelligent connected vehicle standard system. Efforts will be made to revise and establish standards related to functional safety, network security, operating systems, and other aspects. Moreover, standards facilitating the integration of new energy vehicles with information and communication, intelligent transportation, smart cities, and comprehensive energy stations will be prioritized.