Author / Cao Jin
Chinese car companies have long been a common thing to enter overseas markets, and with the rise of automotive intelligence, the new generation of cars "going to sea" will face more solutions that need to be updated in order to match overseas regulations and market demand.
Recently, Weilai, Xiaopeng and SAIC MG have entered the European market, and they need to make a series of changes in terms of interaction, navigation and data.
In October last year, SAIC Overseas Intelligent Mobility Technology, a subsidiary of SAIC Motor, announced that it would work with HERE Technologies to support the intelligent networked in-vehicle infotainment system (IVI) for MG models in Thailand, Oceania and Europe. This also means that the intelligent networking system of the MG overseas version of the model will use HERE's mobile software development kit, as well as local information covering specific countries/regions, to achieve a series of location-based functions such as navigation in overseas markets.
In addition to years of partnerships with SAIC, HERE's partners include Chery, Great Wall and Geely, as well as some new energy vehicle manufacturers.
Nowadays, a variety of intelligent functions need to rely on maps and location data to achieve. Founded in 1985, HERE is well versed in this regard as a company focused on geographic information and services. According to Xi Ning, general manager and sales director of HERE Greater China, the focus of the company's daily work is to realize the digitization of geography, the digitization and dynamic of location, and the virtual representation of the real world.
Re-adaptation from regulations to underlying data
Products going abroad not only means that a thorough understanding of overseas users' habits and local regulations is required, but also that the design of intelligent functions needs to be replaced with more suitable local suppliers. For example, in the field of smart cockpits, the field of the Internet of Vehicles, and the field of data, compliance design is required. Including at the level of IC and network security, or at the level of user privacy clauses GDPR, a sound plan needs to be developed. And these solutions are inseparable from two elements - geolocation information and location services.
For the need for the replacement of smart cars to go global, HERE and its partner "Taiwei Information Technology" have a deep understanding. At present, HERE's map covers more than 200 countries and regions, with nearly 200 million POI data and 37,000 3D Landmarks; more than 160 million vehicles loaded with HERE navigation and data.
HERE's deep partner, Taiwei, founded in Silicon Valley in 1999, has shifted from mobile phone mobile navigation products to the automotive field, and now it also provides technical assistance for customers such as many independent brands and new car-making forces, including Weilai, to expand overseas markets. These technologies require HERE's very robust data supply, as well as the supply of dynamic services. For example, the above-mentioned steam products need to integrate the data of dynamic charging stations in Europe based on the standard map data provided by HERE to match the experience of European users.
Currently, HERE helps SAIC with map coverage for car exports in regions such as Thailand, Oceania and Europe, and also provides real-time traffic information. At the same time, it also provides a SDK (Software Development Kit) to enable its mobile terminal application system to connect with functions such as IVI of the car. At the same time, HERE also provides SAIC with ADAS maps, which are maps that contain abilities such as slope curvature.
In addition, in response to the regulatory policies of different countries, HERE has an independent legal team in most regions to ensure compliance with product development and services. In addition, in line with regulations such as the European ISA (Intelligent Speed Assist System), HERE products have also evolved to meet the requirements of local governments and car companies, ensuring that data from customers, users, and company employees can be reasonably divided and protected before it is used.
Not only Inside out, but also Outside in
It is easier to understand that the Chinese car brand "Inside out" is to help Chinese companies to globalize and provide them with the ability to go to sea when doing business overseas. Meet the location attribute requirements of vehicles, applications, chips and devices.
Outlook in, on the other hand, means that when overseas customers want to do business in China, HERE can also help them land in China.
"Whether it's O2O business or the automotive industry, navigation and geography are needed, and we can provide them with a map of global standard attributes. When foreign customers enter China, we will also let customers have a seamless user experience through partners in the ecological environment."
Xi Ning said that HERE uses a multi-cloud architecture and neutral servers, adopts a B2B business model, and does not directly face end users, so as to maintain neutrality and objectivity. And HERE can not only provide customers with their own dynamic data for development and packaging, but also provide services based on throughput, APIs, and SAK-based products.
In-depth application based on accurate location information
With HERE's location information support, Taiwei, as its deep partner, can help China's own brands clear more obstacles in the process of smart cars going to sea.
In this regard, Zhu Wenqing, product director of Taiwei Information Technology Co., Ltd., gave an example with an EV-exclusive function: "The solution we currently provide to Xiaopeng will combine the path planning engine and algorithm, and then superimpose HERE's third-party charging station network data, and these charging station network data will contain dynamic data APIs derived from HERE dynamic services."
With these three levels of data, combined with the integration of Taiwei's battery SOC, battery management system and energy consumption curve for car companies, the system can be automatically recommended at the user level. "For example, in the long-distance driving from Berlin to Paris, how many times you need to park and charge, and the time of each parking charge, you can plan in advance for users."
In addition, at the level of intelligent parking functions, Taiwei has also launched products such as autonomous valet parking for indoor low-speed scenarios in the Chinese market. "At present, we have begun to promote the visual integration of automatic parking assistance solutions and memory parking solutions, and the fully automatic autonomous valet parking (APP) will also meet you in the first quarter of 2023."
At present, Taiwei's interconnected navigation products are mainly divided into four levels of product forms. Our customers most use our navigation APP, in which Tedwei integrates the navigation engine, data packaging, and AI navigation at the upper level of human-computer interaction experience, voice assistants, or LSDs. We encapsulate all functional modules, form an application for Android, integrate it into our partners (such as hardware vendors), and finally submit it to the OEM for online implementation.
At the same time, navigation SDK, high-definition map SDK and lane-level positioning are also necessary solutions for car companies to go to sea. Tai mainly wants to provide the navigation SDK to an oem with a strong secondary development capability like Weilai Automobile. As for the HD map SDK, the data will be extracted from the HD map SDK and given to the ECU or pre-controller for automatic driving.
The lane-level positioning and navigation provided by Taiwei can enable users to view the path planning, navigation guidance, and even PUI data presentation made of lane-level positioning in real time on the car machine.
"Since last year, we can see the change in demand of OEMs: more and more OEMs have begun to have a great demand for high-precision maps." Zhu Wenqing said that under this demand, Taiwei continues to superimpose the data functions of ADAS (such as slope and curvature) on the basis of the standard map that has been built, and then the data collection at the lane level can achieve accurate positioning at the lane level. Eventually, these new features can be implemented by encapsulating the elements and attributes of a high-definition map on the previous layer.
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