China has granted new autonomous-driving permission to electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng and a mainland joint venture of Volkswagen, reports the South China Morning Post. The move intensifies the commercialization race between China’s autonomous driving firms and US company Tesla.
Xpeng would now be allowed to conduct “demonstration operations” of its Yoyo driverless taxis in the capital city of southern China’s Guangdong province under a licence officially granted recently, the company said on social media on Monday. The licence, which allows the robotaxis to carry paying passengers, is regarded as a final major test for fleet operators before winning regulatory approval for commercial operations.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen (Anhui) Automotive Company won a Level 3 autonomous driving road test licence in Hefei, in eastern China’s Anhui province, the German carmaker announced on Monday. The joint venture between Volkswagen and JAC Automobile Group had already begun real-world road testing and data collection for the technology of conditionally automated driving in the city.