China mandates 'deactivation override' for self-driving cars as the UK's MoD rejects Chinese vehicles

New driving laws outlined by the Chinese government could see autonomous vehicles have a "mandatory deactivation override".

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced the new rules, which will come into effect from July 1, 2027.

Rules state that autonomous vehicles that require a human backup driver will be impacted, as well as companies operating independently, such as Waymo.

Manufacturers will be forced to ensure that self-driving systems can match the safety of human drivers, according to MIIT.

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Anyone buying an autonomous vehicle will need to be made aware of any limitations to the self-driving systems.

This includes the level of driving automation, capability range, limitations, and control strategies.

The Ministry stated that the new rules launching next year will "prevent risks of misuse or abuse" between humans and the technology.

One of the key measures included in the new features states that the standards will require the activation and deactivation processes of autonomous driving systems to be safe.

It added that this would clarify the notification standards for status information and signals, including ready, activated and deactivated.

These will apply to Level 3 autonomous systems, which means the vehicle can complete most driving tasks under certain limits.

AFP stated that the Chinese government had warned of stricter rules following a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi car in assisted driving mode.

There are thousands of self-driving vehicles on the road across China in most of the major cities around the nation.

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While the technology could revolutionise safety around the world, there are some concerns about the reliability of these systems.

Earlier this year, a "system malfunction" was blamed after several self-driving robotaxis stalled in the middle of the road and some passengers were stuck for hours.

The incident, which took place in the eastern Chinese city of Wuhan, resulted in authorities receiving dozens of calls about "frozen" cars.

It comes as the Ministry of Defence restricted Chinese access to a new tender notice to deliver new Light Mobility Vehicles (LMV) for support services.

The MoD said it was looking to award a contract to fill positions currently performed by Land Rover and Pinzgauer.

Tender notices suggest that the total value is around £2billion excluding VAT, while the 10-year contract will be worth £2.5billion when including VAT.

It states: "In accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, the Authority is exercising its rights under Section 19 (3)b to exclude Chinese Suppliers from this procurement.

"For further details, please refer to the PSQ Technical Questions/Conditions of Participation."

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