The mandatory national standard "Safety Requirements for Automatic Driving Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles" has been officially released.

On July 30, the "Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles" (GB 447212026), a mandatory national standard organized and overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, was approved and published by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration Committee. It is scheduled to be officially implemented on July 1, 2027. In recent years, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation has deepened continuously, accelerating iterations and breakthroughs in China's automated driving technology, with orderly progress in road testing demonstrations of intelligent and connected vehicles. By 2025, two models with L3 level (conditional automation) were granted conditional access licenses. To actively adapt to the higher requirements for standardization work posed by the rapid development of the industry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has accelerated the construction of the standard system for intelligent and connected vehicles and the development of key urgently needed standards, organizing the National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee to start the formulation of the mandatory national standard for "Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles" since 2025. The "Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles" applies to M and N category vehicles equipped with L3 and L4 (high-level automation) systems and does not apply to automatic parking systems. This standard is based on the actual needs of China's industrial development and industry regulation, considering technological feasibility, industry adaptability, and practical operability, and constructs a comprehensive, clear, and nationally applicable safety requirement system. First, it establishes a comprehensive safety assurance mechanism throughout the entire lifecycle of enterprises to solidify the safety foundation. The standard requires manufacturers to develop safety policies, risk management, safety assurance, and safety enhancement capabilities that cover the entire process from product design and development to production and post-deployment, thereby reducing potential safety risks of automated driving systems from the source. At the same time, it specifies that manufacturers should organize appropriate simulation, site, and road tests during the development and validation process of automated driving systems, ensuring that relevant testing resources and conditions meet the requirements for development and validation. Second, it strengthens the system's execution capability for dynamic driving tasks to ensure safety in use. The standard requires that the safety level of automated driving systems at least meets the standard of a qualified and focused human driver performing dynamic driving tasks, while avoiding unreasonable safety risks to users and other road users. On this basis, it clarifies the safety requirements for executing dynamic driving tasks in various scenarios and specifies the triggering and execution requirements for the minimum risk strategy. Third, it standardizes human-machine interaction and user notification requirements to prevent misuse and abuse risks. The standard mandates that the activation and deactivation process of automated driving systems must be safe and clearly outlines the notification specifications for status information and signals such as readiness, activation, and deactivation. Additionally, for L3 automated driving systems, it requires a driver takeover capability monitoring function. Manufacturers are also required to inform users of key information such as the level of driving automation, capability scope, limitations, control strategies, and user role transitions through channels such as official websites and in-vehicle display terminals, in addition to the product user manual, guiding users toward correct understanding and usage. Fourth, it. The standard constructs an integrated inspection and testing system of "enterprise assurance capability inspection + safety documentation inspection + confirmation testing" to verify the integrity and robustness of enterprises' safety assurance capabilities and product safety documentation. On this basis, third-party testing organizations will conduct confirmation tests using methods such as site tests, road tests, and simulation tests according to the recommended national standards GB/T 41798 "Test Methods and Requirements for Automated Driving Functions in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles," GB/T 44719 "Test Methods and Requirements for Road Tests of Automated Driving Functions in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles," and GB/T 47025 "Test Methods and Requirements for Simulation Tests of Automated Driving Functions in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles," ensuring comprehensive verification of the actual capabilities of automated driving systems. Meanwhile, the Global Technical Regulation for Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR), led by China, was officially approved and published in June 2026. Compared to the ADS GTR, Chinas standards propose more detailed technical requirements for L3 and L4 automated driving systems, further clarifying the safety boundaries of products at different levels, enhancing user information, operation training requirements, and innovatively constructing a unified standardized testing scenario system. While maintaining core technical requirements compatible with international regulations, it is more closely aligned with China's road traffic environment and industry management needs, thus more feasible for implementation. The release and implementation of the "Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems in Intelligent and Connected Vehicles" establishes a unified safety access baseline for automated driving products, which is of significant importance for regulating the research and application of automated driving technology, improving road traffic safety levels, strengthening enterprises' primary responsibility for safety, and ensuring the healthy and sustainable development of the industry. Moving forward, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will solidly promote the interpretation and implementation of the standard, strengthen management of the admission of intelligent and connected vehicle products, and ensure the safety and compliance of automated driving systems. Simultaneously, it will continuously improve supporting standards such as automated driving testing methods and safety event data interaction and management systems, accelerate the construction of a comprehensive regulatory system for intelligent and connected vehicles, and speed up the industrialization and scaling process of automated driving technology, leading to high-quality development of Chinas intelligent and connected vehicle industry. This article is excerpted from the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, edited by Liu Jiayin.