Tencent gets go-ahead to test autonomous cars in Shenzhen

Tencent Holdings on Monday received its first licence to conduct open-road tests for its autonomous cars on designated areas in the southern coastal city of Shenzhen, heating up the race for the commercial development of self-driving vehicles in China.

The licence granted to Tencent was also the first such authorisation issued by the Transport Committee and Public Security and Traffic Police Bureau of Shenzhen, where the company is headquartered, according to a statement released by the internet giant.

The tests are expected to move forward Tencent’s self-driving car initiative from the technical stage into the application stage, which forms a crucial part of its mobility strategy, according to Su Kuifeng, director of the firm’s autonomous driving laboratory.

Shenzhen’s grant of a licence for autonomous car tests has a come a month after China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released national guidelines for smart internet-connected cars, which gave local authorities a freer hand to arrange road tests for self-driving vehicles.

Provincial and municipal governments can evaluate local conditions to choose test areas for autonomous cars, issue licence plates and need only brief the MIIT, the Ministry of Public Security and the Transportation Ministry twice a year on the road tests, according to the guidelines which took effect on May 1.