China has started cracking down on automakers that make bold claims about their car’s autopilot or self-driving capabilities. There has long been a problem with automobile manufacturers exaggerating their autopilot and limited driver-assistance technology to convince customers that they are self-driving.
In addition to that, true self driving cars are being beta tested in public: Which is akin to using customers as guinea pigs.
In response to this, China has banned public beta testing for self-driving cars until a validation process is complete, and they have banned the use of the terms ‘intelligent driving’ and ‘autonomous driving’ when marketing driver assistance features that are not capable of doing so [PDF].
The ban will hopefully reduce the number of people whom fail to pay attention and take over their autopilot-enabled cars when necessary. These regulations will also require manufacturers to state the level of autonomous driving the vehicles offer so that their capabilities and limitations are clear.
The automotive industry has been plagued by this problem for several years, as Tesla drivers failed to pay attention when their cars told them to take the steering wheel. Some drivers text, sleep, among other things instead of keeping an eye on the road and dashboard.
Autopilot preceded what is now called ‘full self-driving (FSD)’ in Tesla cars, and it can give you short breaks from steering while driving. However, you still have to watch it closely and take over when it instructs you to due to its limited capabilities.
The ban decision came from China’s Ministry Of Industry And Information Technology (MIIT)after a Xiaomi SU7 collided with a concrete structure, burst into flames and caused the death of three women.
The MIIT announced the new rules after holding a meeting with 20 companies, and announced the rules during a meeting of 60 automotive industry representatives. The new regulations will also require emergency over-the-air (OTA) updates to be treated as recalls.
