High Capacity China's Robotaxis and Autonomous Driving
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Feb 12, 2026 Lei Xing, China EV and autonomous driving expert and former editor‑in‑chief of China Automotive Review, breaks down China's robotaxi landscape. He discusses smart driving versus true autonomy. He compares LiDAR and vision approaches. He explains city rollout differences, Huawei's role, chip and AI trends, and where robotaxis and delivery bots are headed next.
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Regulatory Shift Between L2 And L4 Autonomy
- China distinguishes “smart driving” (L2/L2+) from true autonomy (L3/L4) and treats the terms as part marketing, part technical classification.
- Responsibility shifts from the driver to the OEM at L3/L4, enabling commercial driverless services if permitted.
National Roadmap Plus Local Pilots
- China pairs a national ICV roadmap with aggressive local pilots to scale AVs across cities like Beijing, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Guangzhou.
- Local permits are phased: testing with safety drivers, safety driver on passenger side, then full driverless paid service.
Riding Chinese Robotaxis Feels 'Boring' (Good)
- Lei Xing rode multiple Chinese robotaxis and found them broadly reliable and unremarkable; comfort varies by vehicle model.
- He calls Waymo the gold standard for ride smoothness but notes Chinese firms have reached similar "boring" consistency.