BYD Secures Licence for Autonomous Vehicle Testing

BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, announced on Dec 27 that it has received a conditional testing licence for level 3 (L3) autonomous driving on high-speed roads. It received the first such licence in China in July, according to a statement on its official Weibo account.

Earlier this month, BMW Group announced that it had received a test licence for L3 self-driving on high-speed roads in Shanghai, while Mercedes-Benz announced that it would conduct L3 tests on designated highways in Beijing.

IM Motors, the EV brand of China's state-owned SAIC Motor, has announced that it is also applying to China's industry ministry for L3 car product entry.

BYD Auto is the automotive division of BYD Company, a Chinese multinational manufacturing conglomerate that is publicly traded in China. In China, it produces passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which are referred to collectively as new energy vehicles (NEVs). It also manufactures battery-powered buses and trucks.