China in fast lane for smart car cyber-security rules

China is drafting tech standards for the cyber-security requirements on smart vehicles, the industry regulator has revealed.

The proposed standards cover car management systems, risk and threat assessment, autonomous driving records and sensitive personal information storage, according to a statement published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

People and organizations can offer feedback for the draft standards until July 5.

The standards are designed to improve driving safety and protect personal information, as cars become more intelligent thanks to autonomous and cloud-based functions, industry insiders said.

For example, they require vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities to be equipped with data storage systems for accident liability assessments.

In Shanghai, the first batch of intelligent-and-connected-vehicle (ICV) taxis were approved to begin operation in April in suburban Jiading District.

The city has released ICV road-testing approvals and pilot plates to 624 vehicles from 28 enterprises since last year, with a total testing mileage more than 14.22 million kilometers.

Shanghai is a national highland for autonomous driving, based on the number of intelligent networked vehicle testing enterprises, the number of licenses issued, open road mileage and road-testing mileage.

"Everyone can experience the convenience of driverless vehicles as early as possible (in Shanghai)," Wu Jincheng, director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization, said.