Following years of development work, global standards for automated driving are entering a complex phase of practical application. The UN Transport Committee met in Geneva on Monday, three months after the adoption of the first international technical regulation for automated driving systems (ADS GTR), to determine how different countries will implement the unified rules.
This committee is the Working Group on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA), a division of the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). Its twenty-sixth session took place after the adoption of ADS GTR in June at the 199th plenary session of WP.29; the focus has now shifted from drafting rules to their implementation.
The session's agenda included progress reports from the ADS Informal Working Group (ADS IWG), the applicability of UN Global Technical Regulations and UN Regulations to ADS, as well as the classification of automated vehicles. These issues concern unresolved problems: how different member countries transform the same technical regulation into national legislation and which categories of automated vehicles fall under specific rules.
The GRVA Chair proposed an implementation support mechanism similar to that used for UN Regulation No. 155 on cybersecurity, including guidelines and interpretation documents to ensure uniform application.
China serves as the Deputy Chair of GRVA and Co-Chair of ADS IWG. In February, at the 19th meeting of ADS IWG in Shanghai, China presented its technical proposals on dynamic driving tasks and human-machine interaction, which were adopted. Furthermore, China shared data obtained from closed proving grounds, public roads, and joint testing of vehicles and road infrastructure. These contributions formed the basis of ADS GTR, which was jointly overseen by China, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, and Japan.
China's national standard, GB 44721-2026, was approved on July 30 and comes into effect on July 1, 2027. It covers Level 3 and Level 4 systems for M and N category vehicles, excluding automatic parking. Compared to ADS GTR, the Chinese standard includes more detailed requirements for L3 and L4 safety boundaries, user notification and training, as well as a unified standardized system of test scenarios. While ADS GTR relies on an internationally used multi-pillar approach—simulation, track testing, and road testing—GB 44721 develops this through standardized scenarios.
This means that China is advancing faster than many member countries in translating international regulations into mandatory domestic norms. For global automakers, the gap between these two systems is significant: compliance with ADS GTR does not automatically guarantee compliance with GB 44721, and vice versa. This week's GRVA session will not resolve this gap, but it will determine the pace at which international regulations become effective.
The session report is expected to be published in mid-October. The next key milestones are the 27th GRVA session and the 201st WP.29 plenary session in March 2027.