Photo: Screenshot of Changan's official WeChat account

China's first official license plate dedicated to Level-3 (L3) autonomous driving, "Yu-AD0001Z," was issued by authorities in Southwest China's Chongqing city, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday, a swift move following the central government's giving go-ahead to L3 road trial runs on December 15. 

The license plate was granted by Chongqing's public security and traffic authority to Changan Automobile Co. The automaker said the license underscores its leading role in ushering in L3 autonomous driving era in China.

Changan's L3 autonomous driving system has been tested in Chongqing's complex vertical terrain and so-called "8D" traffic environment, with accumulated test mileages exceeding 5 million kilometers. The testing covered 191 types of scenario elements—10 times the national standard—with extreme scenarios accounting for 36 percent, and maintained a record of zero accidents, according to the company's official WeChat account. 

The L3 autonomous driving license plate will be installed first on Changan's Deepal-branded vehicles, operated by a vehicle operating firm owned by Changan, and it will conduct pilot road operations on select highway and urban expressway sections in Chongqing.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on December 15 granted L-3 road trial run approval for two electric sedan models - Changan Automobile and BAIC Motor's Arcfox - equipped with L3 autonomous driving capabilities. 

Autonomous driving is categorized in six levels from L0 to L5. The higher the level, the more advanced and intelligent the technology involved. L3, classified as "conditionally automated driving," allows vehicles to perform automated dynamic driving tasks while requiring a human driver to remain available to take control when needed.

Earlier this month, online ride-hailing service provider Caocao Mobility announced that it plans to expand its Robotaxi fleets to 100 cities globally. And Apollo Go, Baidu's autonomous driving mobility platform, has reached 22 cities around the world, with a cumulative autonomous driving mileage exceeding 240 million kilometers, Xinhua reported on December 17.

Industry observers said that the latest Level-3 road trials are widely seen as a milestone that will move China's autonomous driving closer to mass applications soon. 

Global Times