An organisation representing China ’s biggest carmakers has urged its members to enhance driving safety and avoid exaggerating the capabilities of their self-navigating systems, following a fatal crash involving Xiaomi’s SU7 electric vehicle ( EV ) last month.
Carmakers should improve product safety designs and develop effective warning systems to alert drivers, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers ( CAAM ) said on Monday in a joint statement with the China Society of Automotive Engineers. The organizations outlined various initiatives to link carmakers in standardising the advertising and software of driver-assistance systems.
The country ’s EV industry “has developed rapidly and the combined driver assistance ( level 2 driving automation ) has entered a critical period of large-scale application”, the statement said. The efforts were aimed at “building a good habitat and promoting the healthy application of vehicle help products”, it added.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ( MIIT ) summoned officials from 60 companies to a meeting earlier this month, asking them to fully comply with regulations governing the development of self-driving technologies. The state also warned them not to exaggerate the part of the driver-assistance methods.
The MIIT told the company representatives that the words “smart driving”, “advanced smart driving ” and “autonomous driving ” could not be used in promoting existing self-driving systems.
In mainland China, most available self-driving systems are classified as either level 2 ( L2 ) or L2 , both of which require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. Beijing has yet to legalise L3 – a “hands-off ” system based on standards set by US-based SAE International. All individuals are required to be fully call, even with the program turned on.
A Xiaomi SU7 crashed in northern Anhui state last quarter, claiming three life. The vehicle was travelling at 116km/h on a highway with the driver-assistance program engaged, adding that the program alerted the driver to take over the vehicle two hours before it hit a practical challenge, the EV manufacturer said.
Some analysts said the accident should not be viewed in isolation, as it pointed to the widespread use of navigation on autopilot ( NOA ) in mainland China and the lack of understanding of the system’s role and the related rules and regulations among drivers.
“Millions of drivers need to be educated to properly use the NOA systems, ” said David Zhang, general secretary of the International Intelligent Vehicle Engineering Association. “They have to be completely call when the system is turned on, and the individuals are also liable for their own and people ’ protection. ”
The automobile association also called on its members to strictly observe MIIT’s Automobile Driving Automation Classification to reject false advertising and inflated marketing, avoid ambiguous or ambiguous wording and avoid the risk of driver misuse and abuse of such technologies.
The automakers may also better inform consumers about standard system info, appropriate use methods and emergency response procedures regarding their self-driving technologies. This would ensure that users plainly understand the difference between driver assistance and intelligent moving, it added. – South China Morning Post