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Didi's special feature this time is that it disclosed a series of developments in one breath.
Reporter 丨 Wei Wei
Editor丨Wang Naixin
After warming up for many days, Didi threw out N new developments in autonomous driving on April 13, including the driverless concept car DiDi NEURON, providing 24-hour autonomous driving service in Shanghai, and Robotruck (self-driving truck freight business).
From the beginning of autonomous driving research and development in 2016, the upgrading of the autonomous driving team to an independent company in 2019, to the completion of financing and the launch of Robotaxi (self-driving taxi) operations, Didi has experienced peaks and troughs. Compared with new and old opponents, Didi automatic driving is not a latecomer, but the sense of existence in recent years is not high, which may be the reason why Didi automatic driving is "new".
Landing + concept
"At present, the latest version of the Didi Chuxing App can realize hybrid dispatch in designated areas in Shanghai and Guangzhou. That is, orders that start and end in the region, users can directly see the 'autonomous driving' option on the Didi App and request a car", Zhang Bo, CTO and CEO of Didi Chuxing, announced the news at the beginning of the Didi Autonomous Driving Open Day on April 13.
The so-called hybrid dispatch is that when a user calls a car through Didi, the vehicle receiving the order may be a traditional vehicle or a Robotaxi.
The Beijing Business Daily reporter's experience found that at present, the taxi page of the latest version of the Didi App for users in Shanghai and Guangzhou has appeared automatic driving options. Click to enter the autonomous driving, and the top of the page scrolls to remind the precautions: 24-hour operation on weekdays, passengers between 18 and 70 years old. There are more than 100 Robotaxi pick-up and drop-off stations that Shanghai users can choose from, all in Jiading District, and more than 10 stations that Guangzhou users can choose from, all in Huadu District.
Image source: Weibo video number @Didi Chuxing screenshot
At present, Didi's autonomous driving service is free to experience. Didi said in the user agreement: "Since the autonomous driving manned demonstration application experience is a test activity of scientific experiments, we will provide free experience." After the experience, you will not have to pay anything and we will not issue you a ticket. We will purchase insurance for you in accordance with laws and regulations to protect your legitimate rights and interests. ”
The Beijing Business Daily reporter learned from Didi that Didi currently has more than 200 autonomous vehicles in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and other cities. As for the specific number of vehicles of the autonomous driving fleet in each city and the partner car factory, Didi did not disclose it on April 13.
Another release is more technological.
There is no driver's seat, there is a robotic arm in the car, and the large screen can be interacted with... As soon as the white NEURON was unveiled, people once "crossed" to the scene where Didi and BYD jointly released the first customized ride-hailing car D1. The same is a sudden release, the same is cool, the difference is that D1 focuses on shared travel, and NEURON is Didi's first concept car for autonomous driving.
Be present
Information on the mass production of autonomous vehicles was also announced on April 13.
Meng Xing, COO of Didi Autonomous Driving, said that it is combining the capabilities of new energy vehicle enterprises to jointly define and mass-produce driverless new energy ride-hailing vehicles, and has cooperated in Robotaxi product definition, model platform selection, and cockpit and intelligent driving system development. The first model will be connected to Didi's shared mobility network in 2025, enabling all-weather, large-scale hybrid dispatch.
"Generally speaking, autonomous driving companies, especially those with Robotaxi business, have similar business promotion order, taking test licenses, road tests, commercial operations, and have the strength to cooperate with car manufacturers to carry their own autonomous driving technology on mass production vehicles. It takes time for each business to advance, and it is generally an official announcement to be achieved," Li Jinqing, an analyst at Bida, told a reporter from Beijing Business Daily. In addition to what is easy for passengers to perceive, there are also things that are not easy for passengers to perceive, and they are no longer hidden. ”
For example, it is not easy to perceive two hardware: "Beiyao Beta" lidar and three-domain fusion computing platform "Orca Killer Whale", and Didi Robotruck business KargoBot, which has more than 100 self-driving trucks and has begun normal trial operation between Tianjin and Inner Mongolia.
"Didi is not left behind, and the data it has is an advantage in the field of autonomous driving," Wang Ke, an analyst at the Auto Travel Industry Center of Analysys, told Beijing Business Daily. However, as an industry insider, Wang Ke feels that Didi has spoken too little in the field of autonomous driving before.
Zhang Xiang, a researcher at the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center of North China University of Technology, also expects Didi autonomous driving to disclose more data, such as the number of autonomous driving units, the scale of operating vehicles and the number of operating miles.
In his opinion, "autonomous driving means a lot to Didi. If it can realize autonomous driving, the cost of the ride-hailing business will be greatly reduced, and fewer and fewer people will buy private cars, which will have a huge impact on the whole society."
You chase me
As for Didi's position in the autonomous driving industry, there are different opinions. The general view of the industry is that the current autonomous driving market is small, the technology is not mature, the future market pattern is difficult to predict, enterprises have a lot of trial and error opportunities at this stage, and each company cannot even talk about competition, mainly in the layout stage.
Even so, each family did not slacken. According to the forecast of IHS Markit, an automotive consulting service agency, by 2030, the total market size of China's shared travel will reach 2.25 trillion yuan, of which Robotaxi will account for 60%, or 1.3 trillion yuan, and the shared travel market will gradually shift to the unmanned vehicle travel market in the future.
On the same day that Didi disclosed the progress of its autonomous driving business, Pony Intelligent announced that the next three years will be a key period for the company's commercialization, and Pony Intelligent has formed three business lines: Robotaxi, Robotruck and passenger car intelligent driving.
In addition to Robotaxi, Didi and its peers are also full of hope for intelligent networking. When Didi launched its commercial operation in Huadu District, Guangzhou on March 27, Meng Xing divided Didi's exploration of autonomous driving in Huadu into three stages, including bicycle intelligence, smart city, and embedded air-rail integration project.
On April 12, Baidu announced that Baidu Apollo will participate in the Shanghai Auto Show and release the smart car opening plan. At present, intelligent driving has not yet exploded the market, because there are no products in the market that can really impress consumers, which gives the enterprise window period and the urgency to catch up.
Picture丨Beijing Business Daily, Weibo video number @Didi Chuxing screenshot, visual China