BMW has joined fellow rivals in announcing the development of an L3 autonomous driving system for China, with plans launch it later this year or early 2024. Electric cars with safe and reliable autonomous driving systems will enjoy an advantage over their competitors, analysts say. — SCMP
Carmakers are upping the ante in the battle for supremacy in autonomous driving, fine-tuning the technology to attract buyers of smart electric vehicles (EVs) in China.
Global marques from BMW to Volkswagen and Chinese EV start-ups such as Xpeng and Jidu are increasing investment into driverless technology that could enable cars to navigate their way autonomously on city streets.
“China is by far the global leader in developing self-driving cars due to drivers’ and passengers’ rising penchant for the technology,” said Chen Jinzhu, chief executive of consultancy firm Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service. “But the reality is that international carmakers are trying to catch up with Chinese domestic players in terms of car navigation software.”
BMW announced on Thursday its China research and development team was developing an level 3 (L3) autonomous driving system for the mainland market and planned to get it ready for commercial use later this year or early 2024.
It comes after German rival Mercedes-Benz said in February that it was testing its proprietary L3 system.
L3 is the lowest level of autonomous driving that does not require hands on the steering wheel and it allows drivers to safely take their attention off the road in certain traffic conditions, according to global standards body SAE International. It is the next realistic step for passenger cars.
In China, L3 autonomous driving has not been approved, but some carmakers like Guangzhou-based Xpeng have received approval to put their advanced driver assistance systems for commercial use on a trial basis.
The most complex component in self-driving is lidar or light detection and range sensor, which uses pulsed lasers to map out a 3D view of the vehicle’s surroundings.
This technology is widely adopted by Chinese EV assemblers, including the country’s top smart electric-car builder Li Auto and Aito, an EV brand backed by telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies.
In June, Tesla reportedly started a pilot programme to test its Full Self Driving (FSD) system in China to make its Shanghai-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles more autonomous.
The US carmaker, however, denied the media reports about the pilot tests.
“Electric cars with safe and reliable preliminary autonomous driving system will enjoy an advantage over their competitors because more drivers are willing to pay extra money to own a car that is smarter,” said Zhao Zhen, a sales director with Shanghai-based dealer Wan Zhuo Auto.
“That’s why global automotive giants are also strengthening their design capabilities in China, hoping to churn out electric cars with L3 self-driving systems.”
On Wednesday, Volkswagen Group said it had formed a partnership with Xpeng to jointly develop EVs, aiming to bring intelligent, fully connected EVs to the Chinese market more quickly.
The German carmaker will invest about US$700mil for 4.99% of Xpeng and an observer’s board seat in the Chinese carmaker. The two companies plan to roll out two Volkswagen-badged midsize EVs in 2026 to target middle-class Chinese customers.
Some Xpeng cars, fitted with its X NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) software, are now capable of autonomous driving in China’s top four cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The company plans to expand its coverage to “dozens of cities” across mainland China later this year.
Deliveries of EVs in China, the world’s largest market for battery-powered vehicles, are expected to hit 8.8 million units in 2023, 35% higher than last year, according UBS.
Li Zhenyu, vice-president of Baidu, China’s top artificial intelligence firm that also develops autonomous driving technology, said in April that mainland customers would be less likely to consider cars without intelligent driving capabilities in 2026 when such cars become more prevalent. – South China Morning Post
