China pilot for market access and road operation of intelligent connected vehicles

The vehicle manufacturer and the user entity form a consortium and prepare an application scheme following the trial Implementation Guide (template in Annex 2). After the government of the city where the vehicles are to operate (including districts of municipalities) consents and affixes its seal, the consortium applies voluntarily to the provincial industry and information technology department; the city must have the necessary policy, infrastructure and safety management conditions. The provincial department reviews it together with the traffic management and cybersecurity police, housing and urban-rural development, transport and communications administrations, then submits it to MIIT, where the four ministries organise an expert preliminary review and select the consortia admitted to the pilot.

Applies when

Vehicle manufacturers intending to mass-produce L3/L4 models in China and the user entities intending to operate them.

Evidence to retain

• · Consortium agreement and allocation of responsibilities
• · Pilot application scheme prepared to the official template
• · Consent letter from the city government with official seal
• · Joint review opinion of the five provincial authorities and the submission record

Estimated first-time effort: 20–60 person-days (estimate, not a commitment)

The pilot manufacturer must refine the access testing and safety assessment scheme for the ICV product; after MIIT and the Ministry of Public Security confirm it, testing and safety assessment are carried out under the supervision of the provincial authorities and the city government where the vehicles operate, while MIIT commissions technical service institutions to assess the scheme, its execution and its results. The manufacturer must connect the vehicles to the MIIT pilot management system in accordance with the monitoring requirements. Only after passing may the product access application be filed with MIIT, which decides after acceptance, examination and public notice and then announces the approved product together with the validity period, area of operation and other restrictions.

Applies when

Pilot vehicle manufacturers and their automated driving system suppliers.

Evidence to retain

• · Access testing and safety assessment scheme with the confirmation record from the two ministries
• · Execution records of the testing and safety assessment, with proving-ground and road test reports
• · Technical service institution assessment report and issue closure records
• · Integration plan and data submission records for connecting vehicles to the MIIT pilot management system
• · Product access application dossier and the access announcement stating validity period and area of operation

Estimated first-time effort: 60–180 person-days (estimate, not a commitment)

Approved ICV products operate on the road within a defined area. The pilot user entity must insure the vehicles as required, apply for registration, monitor their operating status and strengthen operational safety; where a change of pilot user entity is requested before registration, supplementary materials must be submitted. Where the vehicles are used for commercial transport, the user entity must also hold the corresponding transport business qualification and meet operational management requirements.

Applies when

Pilot user entities operating robotaxis, driverless shuttles, delivery vehicles and trunk logistics fleets.

Evidence to retain

• · Vehicle insurance policies and an adequacy justification
• · Registration certificates and documentation of the permitted operating area
• · Design and duty records of the vehicle operating status monitoring platform
• · Transport business licences and operational management rules
• · Supplementary materials and approval for any change of pilot user entity

Estimated first-time effort: 15–45 person-days (estimate, not a commitment)

During the pilot, for traffic accidents, cyber and data security incidents, or emergencies caused by failure of the vehicle automated driving system, the pilot user entity, the pilot manufacturer and the city government department must respond in accordance with the relevant emergency plans and report the response process and results to the provincial authority in good time, which in turn reports to MIIT, the Ministry of Public Security, MOHURD and the Ministry of Transport.

Applies when

Both the pilot user entity and the pilot vehicle manufacturer, each bearing the reporting duty.

Evidence to retain

• · Dedicated emergency plans for traffic accidents and for cyber and data security incidents
• · Emergency drill records and improvement items
• · Incident response ledger with timeline, measures and outcome
• · Submission records and acknowledgements of reports to the provincial authority

Estimated first-time effort: 10–30 person-days (estimate, not a commitment)

The pilot manufacturer bears primary responsibility for product quality and production consistency, must not change automated driving functions without authorisation, and must strictly comply with software update management and filing commitments. The pilot user entity must discharge primary responsibility for road traffic safety, cybersecurity and data security and establish sound safety management rules to ensure safe operation. In practice the OTA release process must be tied to a documented test of whether a change alters the automated driving function and to the filing triggers.

Applies when

Pilot manufacturers and their automated driving software suppliers, with the pilot user entity responsible for the corresponding safety management rules.

Evidence to retain

• · Criteria for determining a change to the automated driving function and the per-release determination records
• · Software update management rules and records evidencing compliance with the filing commitments
• · Production consistency control plan and inspection records
• · Road traffic safety, cybersecurity and data security management rules of the user entity

Estimated first-time effort: 10–30 person-days (estimate, not a commitment)