BYD was the first in China to receive permission to test Level 3 self-driving systems – almost six months ago

During this time, several more companies received permission

BYD has received a license to test Level 3 (L3) self-driving systems on high-speed roads. The company said it became the first automaker in China to receive the permit.

BYD's press release states that the permit was received on July 21 in Shenzhen, but the company announced this only today. BYD did not specify why the announcement took place with a delay of almost six months.

The Shenzhen-based automaker emphasizes that L3 does not mean fully autonomous driving. L2–L4 autonomous driving still requires drivers to perform certain functions. Only L5 is a completely unmanned level. «Currently it is too early to talk about this concept»,— they say in BYD.

During this time, other companies also received permission to test L3 systems in China:

• Jiayu;
• Avatr;
• Mercedes-Benz;
• BMW;
• Arcofx;
• Deepal (Changan);
• IM (SAIC).