The Chinese manufacturer BYD claims to see no interest in autonomous driving, unlike its rival, Tesla. However, the manufacturer, currently number 2 in the world for electric cars, is still working on the development of this technology. Does this displayed distrust simply mask some shortcomings in the field?
If the car capable of taking us to our place of work while we finish our night does not yet exist, manufacturers are actively working on the development of their autonomous driving solutions, based on driving aids. We obviously think of Tesla with its Autopilot and FSD, which are not yet flawless. Other manufacturers are also very advanced in this area, such as Mercedes and Ford, whose system would be the best in the world according to this American study.
BYD doesn’t believe it
Chinese brands are also very interested in this technology, like the Geely group with its brands Volvo, Lotus or Zeekr, which are equipped in particular with LiDAR sensors. But some are on the other hand a little more shared. This is notably the case of BYD, which asserts that 100% autonomous driving is simply impossible.
Relayed by the site of the CNBC, one of the spokespersons for the brand which is also working on the launch of its Seal and Dolphin in Europe does not mince words. Li Yunfei asserts that ” we believe that autonomous technology that is completely separate from the human is very, very far and basically impossible“. That has the merit of being clear.
For him, many obstacles stand in the way of the development of this technology, such as thea safety, ethics, the psychological aspect or the regulations. We recall in particular that in China, autonomous driving is not authorized on the roads for private cars. For the record, Europe authorizes level 3 on certain roads and up to 130 km/h.
A speed that is higher than what technology allows, since the Mercedes Drive Pilot is currently limited to 60 km/h. That could soon change. But none of that matters to BYD, which says many companies are investing in self-driving before they realize it’s getting nowhere.
A slight delay?
According to the company’s spokesperson, automation would be more relevant in the field of industry and in factories. For him, it would be wise and more economical to replace employees with fully autonomous machineswho have not ” no need to eat or sleep“. But isn’t this opposition to hands-free driving hiding something else?
Isn’t the company simply lagging behind its rivals? That might indeed be the case. Because the manufacturer certainly offers some automated driving features in its cars, but nothing that can compete with Tesla or Ford for example. However, and despite his loud and clear distrust, this does not prevent him from working on this technology.
In a press release published last March, the company Nvidia, which specializes in electronic chips, announced that it had signed a partnership with BYD. If nothing has been confirmed, this alliance could concern the development of autonomous driving, in addition to the implementation of the GeForce NOW cloud gaming system. But that’s not all, because BYD has also partnered with the company Horizon Robotics to equip its cars with a Journey 5 processor according to the site. It Home.
This one, presented during the Shanghai show is precisely designed for autonomous driving and can work with millimeter wave radars and other LiDARs. This should allow BYD to return to the race against Mercedes, but also Tesla, which could bring back the sensors, currently replaced by cameras on its cars.
Tesla vs. BYD
On the Tesla side, its FSD (which is technically the equivalent of level 3 or even 4 autonomous driving) is still in beta testing in the United States. Elon Musk announced during the first quarter 2023 financial results that autonomous driving would be available by the end of the year. But beware, this promise has been made since… 2014!
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