Beijing has issued the country’s first dedicated license plates for Level 3 autonomous vehicles, marking a milestone in China’s push toward intelligent mobility.

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau’s Traffic Management Bureau granted the plates to three intelligent connected vehicles authorized for L3 highway driving. The move represents China’s first official issuance of L3 highway-only autonomous vehicle plates, signaling a shift from pilot testing to formal commercialization.

Level 3, known as “conditional automation,” allows vehicles to handle driving tasks under specific conditions, with human intervention required when prompted. In Beijing, the feature is currently permitted only on designated sections of expressways, including parts of the Beijing–Taipei Expressway, the Airport North Line Expressway, and the Daxing Airport Expressway.

Outside those approved routes, the autonomous driving function will be automatically disabled by the system, authorities said.