Part 1: Regulatory scheme for automated vehicles Chapter 1: Authorisation of road vehicles for automated use Section 3: Power to authorise
This section gives the Secretary of State the power to authorise a "road vehicle" for use as an automated vehicle, if the vehicle meets the self-driving test and any initial authorisation requirements are met. "Road vehicle" is defined in section 94 of the Act as a mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads.
	Subsection (2) specifies that an authorisation may apply to a single identified vehicle, a number of identified vehicles, or a vehicle ‘type’. Vehicle type is a way of grouping and identifying vehicles by feature or features designed to enable self-driving.
	Subsection (3) requires that any description of a ‘type’ of vehicle must describe the vehicles in such a way that the self-driving test and any authorisation requirements apply equally to an individual vehicle of that type.
	The ability to authorise a single vehicle, or to authorise a number of vehicles by ‘type’, provides flexibility to deal appropriately with a range of vehicles and technologies, and to apply appropriate requirements. For example, an automated vehicle of bespoke design for a niche market may require individual authorisation and vehicle-specific requirements. A mass market automated vehicle design, produced in large numbers where all vehicles are equipped with the same self-driving features could be authorised as a ‘type’.