Beijing traffic authorities have given the green light for road tests of self-driving cars in an effort to foster the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for mobility¹.

 

北京交管部门对自动驾驶汽车路试开绿灯，以推广人工智能在汽车领域的应用。

 

According to the Beijing municipal commission of transport, only entities² registered in China can apply for the road test. The vehicle should be able to switch between self-driving and conventional modes and be equipped with sensors³ and cameras so its driving behavior and position can be monitored, the commission said.

 

The car should pass a technical assessment⁴ at a training ground before being allowed on open roads. There are designated roads and hours for the test drive. A driver is required, and the driver will be held responsible if accidents occur, the commission added.

 

The regulation came after Baidu boss Robin⁵ Li test drove the company's autonomous⁶ vehicle on Beijing's open roads in July, causing controversy⁷ as there were no rules regarding such test.

 

Autonomous vehicles have been drawing investment. According to a report by Tencent Research Institute, financing for aided or self-driving cars in China has reached 10.7 billion yuan (1.6 billion U.S. dollars). Mobility ranks as the third-hottest AI-related industry following vision-image analysis and voice processing. 

 

The commission said Beijing has businesses spread through the whole industrial chain of automated⁸ driving, and that the city will give greater support to the development and commercialization of autonomous vehicles.

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