China issued licenses to automakers SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd.-backed startup Nio to test driverless cars on a 5.6-kilometer public road in Shanghai, state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported March 1.
Zhang Cheng, general manager of SAIC Motor's foresight technology division, reportedly said road testing allows for useful data gathering on real traffic conditions and for testing smart cars' driving functions.
The report said the issuance of licenses came less than a year after Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc.'s co-founder and CEO Robin Li had a test drive of an autonomous car on Beijing's open roads in July 2017, which sparked controversy as there were then no regulations regarding autonomous vehicle testing.
Xinhua added that Shanghai pledged to pursue the application and commercialization of smart vehicles with artificial intelligence technology and internet connectivity.
Meanwhile, California approved Feb. 26 regulations that would allow public testing and deployment of cars without drivers on the state's roads as early as April.
