China has put a halt on issuing new licenses for autonomous vehicles, as reported by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter. The decision comes after a notable incident in Wuhan where multiple Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis stopped simultaneously in traffic, causing significant disruption.

This move means that companies will be unable to add new autonomous vehicles to their fleets, expand their operations into new cities, or start new testing projects. However, the timeline for when the issuance of new licenses will resume remains unclear.

The incident in Wuhan has prompted concerns among Beijing authorities, leading regulators to advise local governments to conduct a thorough review of the autonomous vehicle sector. The aim is to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

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