Zeekr secures L3 autonomous driving permit in another region

Zeekr, the premium EV subsidiary of Geely Holding Group, is making significant strides in the autonomous driving field. Fresh off securing an L3 autonomous driving test permit in Shanghai, the company has now obtained the same permit in its home region of Hangzhou.

The new permit will enable Zeekr to conduct extensive L3 autonomous driving tests on Hangzhou's highways and urban expressways, leveraging the capabilities of its SEA Intelligent Driving system. Earlier this year, in June, the company received a similar permit in Shanghai. With the addition of Hangzhou, Zeekr is expanding its testing footprint, gathering crucial data and insights to perfect its autonomous driving systems.

China's classification system for autonomous driving, which came into effect in March 2022, defines Level 3 driving automation as conditionally automated driving. This level allows a system to handle all dynamic driving tasks within the conditions for which it was designed.

Zeekr's vehicles are built on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and initially used smart driving solutions from Mobileye. However, with the recent launch of the 2025 Zeekr 001 and 2025 Zeekr 007, the company has shifted towards a predominantly in-house developed solution, upgrading its intelligent driving system to SEA Intelligent Driving 2.0.

Zeekr has set ambitious goals for its autonomous driving roadmap. By the end of this year, the company wants to start delivering NZP (Navigation Zeekr Pilot) features that operate without relying on high-definition maps. Looking further ahead, Zeekr plans to introduce the even more advanced NZP+ features in the second half of 2025.

Zeekr is not alone in its pursuit of L3 autonomous driving capabilities. Nio and BYD have also received L3 autonomous driving test licenses in Shanghai. In June, Zeekr, along with Nio and BYD, was included in China's first list of L3/L4 autonomous driving pilot carmakers.

Securing an L3 autonomous driving test permit in Hangzhou is another significant milestone in Zeekr's journey toward a future of intelligent and autonomous mobility. The race to develop and deploy L3 autonomous driving capabilities is heating up, and Zeekr is undoubtedly a strong contender in this exciting field.

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