(Yicai Global) March 1 -- Shanghai's government formally issued measures for smart connected vehicle road testing today and doled out the first batch of driverless vehicle road test licenses in China, the government's official Shanghai Observer media reported.

Traditional carmaker SAIC Motor Corp. and new energy vehicle developer Shanghai NIO Automobiles Co. were the first recipients who now qualify to road test smart linked cars. The measures alsodesignate a low-risk 56-kilometer road in the city's Jiading district for the first phase.

More roads will gradually open to testing in future. The measures also appoint oversight authorities, and list the application conditions for road testing, and its approval process, as well as identifying and dealing with accidents and infractions. This will allow Shanghai to lead in implementing nationwide tests and speed the shift from research and development, testing to demonstration andapplication to commercialization, Huang Ou, deputy director of Shanghai's commission of economy and information, said at a press conference.

The municipality is setting up a smart linked car and application standardization work group to research and devise autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warnings and other relevant standards, Huang added.