Photo:AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi
Eurasia
30/12/2023 10:35
“BYD began preparing long ago to be able to do this faster than anyone thought possible, and now the rest of the industry has to race to catch up.” The passing of the EV sales crown also reflects the shift in competitive dynamics between Tesla’s Elon Musk, the world’s richest executive, and BYD’s billionaire founder Wang Chuanfu.
BYD has obtained a conditional testing license for level 3 (L3) autonomous driving on high-speed roads. It was granted the first such license in China in July, the company said in a statement on its official Weibo account on Wednesday. Earlier in December, BMW Group said it had received a test license for L3 self-driving on high-speed roads in Shanghai.
There are different levels of automation, from levels 0 to 5, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers and most automakers, Asia Financial explains. Level 3, also known as conditional driving automation, involves automated features which allow drivers to engage in activities behind the wheel, such as watching movies or using smartphones – but under limited conditions – while their car navigates expressway traffic.