Shenzhen Approves Fully Driverless Vehicle Testing on Public Roads

The Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Bureau has recently issued a public notice inviting feedback on the “Administrative Measures for Road Testing and Pilot Application of Intelligent Connected Vehicles in Shenzhen (Revised Draft for Public Consultation)”.

In response to the rapid evolution of intelligent vehicle technologies, Shenzhen is preparing to update its policies to better support innovation and commercialization in the smart mobility sector. The proposed revisions aim to streamline application procedures, expand testing scenarios, and further boost the growth of the intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) industry.

Among the key highlights, the new draft explicitly supports fully driverless in-vehicle testing, allowing enterprises to conduct autonomous road trials and pilot applications without any human driver inside the vehicle. This move enables companies to carry out advanced technical validations in complex environments, accelerating the deployment of high-level autonomous driving solutions.

Furthermore, the draft introduces a cross-regional mutual recognition mechanism, permitting ICV road test results obtained in other cities to be recognized in Shenzhen. This will simplify the application process, reduce costs, and encourage domestic enterprises to converge in Shenzhen for large-scale, real-world autonomous testing.

By embracing these forward-looking reforms, Shenzhen reaffirms its leadership in China’s smart transportation revolution—creating a fertile ground for innovation, safety, and the future of driverless mobility.