Li Xiang, founding father of Li Auto, has referred to as for standardized Chinese language terminology for autonomous driving ranges, warning that present advertising and marketing practices confuse customers about what their automobiles can do.
“I urge media and trade organizations to standardize terminology for autonomous driving,” Li posted on social media. “Phrases like L2 and L3 are incomprehensible to customers—simply technical jargon.”
Li proposed a simplified naming conference: “L2 = Driving Help; L3 = Automated Driving Help; L4 = Autonomous Driving; L5 = Driverless Driving,” emphasizing that “not a single additional character must be added” to keep away from exaggerated claims that would mislead customers.
“Being restrained in promotion whereas investing in know-how advantages customers, the trade, and firms in the long term,” Li added.
The intervention comes amid rising issues that advertising and marketing hyperbole round autonomous driving capabilities contributes to accidents as drivers overestimate their automobiles’ skills. A number of high-profile crashes have occurred when drivers mistakenly believed their automobiles may drive themselves, highlighting the disconnect between advertising and marketing claims and technological actuality.
The autonomous driving classification system, which is extensively adopted internationally, was established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and ranges from L0 to L5. China’s “Car Driving Automation Classification” commonplace references SAE J3016’s framework, with the classifications primarily aligned.
L2 (Mixed Driving Help) techniques can management lateral and longitudinal car motion beneath particular working circumstances, similar to sustaining lanes and secure freeway distances. Nevertheless, drivers should stay vigilant and able to take management.
L3 (Conditional Autonomous Driving) techniques can deal with all dynamic driving duties beneath particular circumstances. Automobiles can drive mechanically in sure environments, like highways, however drivers should be ready to intervene when the system requests it.
L4 (Excessive-Stage Autonomous Driving) techniques can full all driving duties and carry out driving takeovers beneath designed working circumstances, constantly monitoring site visitors circumstances to realize all driving goals. Driver monitoring is mostly pointless, although human intervention should be required in distinctive eventualities.
L5 (Full Autonomous Driving) techniques can carry out all dynamic driving duties beneath any circumstances with out the “designed working circumstances” limitation. Automobiles can drive autonomously in any state of affairs with out human driver participation—passengers solely want to offer a vacation spot or navigation data.
Trade observers be aware that the hole between advertising and marketing language and technical capabilities has turn out to be dangerously broad. On account of deceptive terminology utilized in promotional supplies, customers usually imagine their L2 techniques have L4 or L5 capabilities. Li’s proposal goals to make clear a scenario the place linguistic ambiguity has actual security implications.
