Entry into the list lays the groundwork for the commercialization of high-level autonomous driving capabilities, Nio said.

Nio (NYSE: NIO) has been named to the first list of vehicle companies in China that can pilot vehicles with L3/L4 autonomous driving capabilities for road access, the company announced today.

The goal of the pilot is to select mass-production-ready automotive products with L3/L4 autonomous driving capabilities based on extensive prior road testing, a Nio statement said.

Upon approval, these vehicles can be put on the road in restricted areas, thus laying the foundation for the commercialization of high-level autonomous driving, the company said.

Nio was awarded an L3 autonomous driving test license in Shanghai in December 2023, which allows it to carry out road tests of conditional autonomous driving systems on designated highways and expressways, thus making it well-prepared for the pilot, it said.

Earlier today, an announcement from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed that nine car companies, including Nio, BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY), Changan Automobile, GAC, SAIC, BAIC BluePark, China FAW Group, SAIC Hongyan, Yutong Bus, have made it onto a pilot list for access and on-road passage of smart internet-connected vehicles.

After the vehicle companies submitted their applications and the governments of the cities where the vehicles are scheduled to operate agreed, four government departments, including MIIT, organized experts to review the applications, which led to the identification of the vehicle companies on the list, according to the announcement.

Notably, MIIT emphasized in a separate Q&A that the list does not mean that the vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities of the car companies on it have gained access permits or are allowed to drive on the road.

Here's what the Q&A mentions:

The implementation of this pilot is divided into five phases: pilot application, product entry pilot, on-road access pilot, pilot suspension and withdrawal, and evaluation and adjustment.

The current work only completes the selection of the application stage, and does not mean that smart internet-connected vehicles with autonomous driving functions have obtained access permits or are allowed to pass on the road.

Next, the four government departments will guide the consortiums entering the pilot to carry out the pilot implementation work.

Vehicle companies entering the pilot list will need to further improve their product access testing and safety assessment programs and carry out product testing and safety assessment work after confirmation from regulatory authorities, according to the announcement.

After that, the automakers need to submit product entry applications, and MIIT will make a decision on whether to grant access after review and public comment.

The MIIT will set access validity period, implementation area and other restrictive measures for vehicle companies that gain access, according to the Q&A.

Nio users drive over 100 million km with smart driving features in May