Autonomous driving

China is a leader in the development and practical implementation of autonomous driving. This sector is considered a major technology of the future. The Table.Briefings editorial team has all the news on autonomous driving in China. Autonomous driving in China China is regarded as a leader in autonomous driving technology. Self-driving cars from AutoX have been on the road in Shenzhen since December 2020. The company, which is supported by internet giant Alibaba, now has over one hundred robotaxis in operation in five Chinese cities. The models are even on the road without safety drivers. In Pingshan, for example, a suburb of Shenzhen, the robotaxis can be booked using an app. They do not follow a fixed route. In the meantime, 27 Chinese cities and more than seventy companies have received permission to test autonomous vehicles on public roads. In Beijing and Shanghai alone, over 2.5 million test kilometers had been completed by June 2021. What stages of autonomous driving are there? There are six different levels of autonomous driving. Depending on the level, the car can perform a different number of tasks independently without the driver having to actively intervene. The minimum standards for the individual levels are set out in the international standard SAE J3016, which has been in force since 2014. The levels of autonomous driving differ as follows: Autonomous driving: Fundamental differences between China and Europe China is taking a centralized approach to autonomous driving. A cloud-based ecosystem is to be created. On the one hand, this will make it easier to solve the massive traffic problems in metropolitan areas with millions of inhabitants. On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party attaches great importance to extensive monitoring of citizens, which would be easier to implement with a centralized system. However, manufacturers from the USA and Europe are pursuing an on-board approach in the field of autonomous driving. Artificial intelligence should work in the car and not in the cloud. It's a cultural difference. In the West, the car is seen as the last place of retreat and a private space. The different approaches could result in manufacturers having to develop two software packages. One for China, the world's largest car market, and one for all other countries. Nevertheless, German companies have also launched pilot projects in China. First and foremost Volkswagen. The Group is using electric SUVs as robotaxis in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei, which can be booked via a mobility platform. BMW is cooperating with Chinese tech giant Tencent on the topic of autonomous driving. Mercedes maintains a test fleet in Beijing. Development clusters for autonomous driving in China Because autonomous driving is seen as a key future technology in the field of mobility, the Communist Party in China has developed four large clusters in which major companies from the technology sector must conduct research into key tasks and report regularly. Baidu, for example, the largest search engine in the People's Republic, is developing a software package for autonomous driving together with Chinese car manufacturers, Daimler, Ford and Nvidia. The other clusters were built around the high-tech groups Alibaba, Tencent and the mobility provider Didi. Autonomous driving: Leading companies in China Baidu has 500 semi-autonomous vehicles in operation in China, making it the largest test fleet in the People's Republic. In Beijing, there are ten level 4 vehicles on the road with safety drivers on board. By the end of 2023, the Group aims to have 3,000 robot cabs in operation in 30 Chinese cities. The Group is cooperating with more than one hundred companies. These include BMW, Ford and Volkswagen. Pony.ai offers rides in robot cabs in five Chinese cities. By mid-2021, 220,000 journeys had been made. The company was founded by former Baidu managers. Toyota has invested a total of EUR 400 million. Pony.ai is working on level four and five autonomous driving solutions and has a market valuation of three billion dollars. WeRide has already dispensed with the steering wheel in its fleet of driverless minibuses. However, the models are only on the road in the Guangzhou International Bio Island industrial complex, where the vehicles are to be tested under urban conditions. In 2017, the company was the first to launch a major pilot program. Didi Chuxing is Uber's Chinese competitor. Like the Americans, the company is hoping that the technology for autonomous driving will be used as widely as possible so that the business model is profitable. The company has outsourced its research work on the subject to its subsidiary Didi Labs. Didi Chuxing: Autonomous driving in the Uber counterpart For the company Didi Chuxing, the Uber competitor from China, autonomous driving is a key technology. As with Uber, self-driving cars could ensure that the company finally makes a profit. Investments in the relevant research are correspondingly high. Didi raised around USD 4.4 billion at its IPO in New York in the summer. Around 30% of this is to be invested in the construction of an electric car and in research into autonomous driving. To this end, Didi Chuxing is cooperating with Volvo, which is providing the XC90 SUV to build a robot cab. There is also a cooperation between Didi and the battery manufacturer GAC Aion to develop an autonomous electric car. The plans could be dampened by the regulatory measures of the Cyberspace Administration in China (CAC). The Communist Party is currently trying to put large technology companies on a leash. The Didi app had to be deleted from all app stores due to alleged breaches of data protection. Tesla: concerns and opportunities in China Tesla is the global market leader in purely battery-powered electric cars. The vehicles also have a high degree of automation. Accordingly, China is perhaps the most important market for Elon Musk's company. With regard to autonomous driving, he emphasized the potential that lies in the People's Republic. Customers would become more connected with their cars. However, in China of all places, Tesla is struggling with huge recalls in 2021. Over 285,000 cars had to be recalled due to problems with the Autopilot. It would activate itself while driving and accelerate uncontrollably in some cases. In addition, there are repeated complaints from customers. Either because they are confronted with false sales promises or because the quality – for example in terms of safety – does not meet their expectations. Chinese politicians are also keeping a wary eye on Tesla. Above all, the Communist Party wants Chinese manufacturers to dominate the market. An (extremely successful) American manufacturer disturbs the overall picture. In addition, the Chinese military also has its eye on Tesla. As the cameras always record everything, the technology could be interpreted as espionage if interpreted maliciously. Smart mobility as a traffic solution for China For China, autonomous driving is part of the solution to the traffic problem. In the country's large metropolitan areas with millions of inhabitants, the roads are sometimes chaotic. Commuters and residents suffer not only because of the loss of time, but also due to exhaust pollution. Autonomous electric cars, car sharing and public transportation are to be linked together. Monitoring systems and artificial intelligence could control traffic, reduce road congestion and thus protect the environment. All the news on autonomous driving in China Autonomous driving could revolutionize the chaotic traffic in China's megacities. However, the technology has its pitfalls and research and development in this area is of great political interest – which can be both a blessing and a curse. The Table.Briefings editorial team provides all the relevant news on this topic.