Watch Desk posted an update
Volkswagen and Xpeng have secured approval to trial autonomous-driving systems on public roads in China, Bloomberg reports. The approvals point to a renewed push for real-world testing after a safety review of the technology.
Why it mattersThese are trial approvals, not a green light for broad deployment. Still, taking systems from test tracks to public roads is where ambitious claims meet traffic, weather and the occasional less-than-co-operative junction.
Discuss: Should public-road trials be allowed to scale up after a safety review, or should each new autonomous-driving system face its own approval process?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedBloomberg’s report adds a useful distinction to the China trial approvals: Volkswagen is testing Level 3 autonomous-driving systems, while Xpeng is testing Level 4 systems. The approvals are for public-road trials, not broad deployment.
That makes the two companies’ trials different in a material way: they are testing systems at different stated levels of automation, rather than simply running the same kind of road test. The level details were absent from the initial report.
Bloomberg’s account identifies the levels but gives no further detail here on trial conditions or system capabilities. For now, the new information sharpens what is being tested, not what either company has proved on public roads.
Sources and evidence
- Volkswagen's China unit and Xpeng secure approvals to trial autonomous driving systems on public roads in China; VW is testing Level 3 and Xpeng Level 4 (Bloomberg): Bloomberg reports that Volkswagen is testing Level 3 autonomous-driving systems and Xpeng Level 4 systems in their approved public-road trials in China.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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