Yu Chengdong's transfer, the AEB dispute, and the car safety caused heated discussions
Recently, a rear-end collision accident involving the M7 has sparked widespread public concern and discussion about the safety of smart cars. After the accident, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's terminal BG, was transferred to the post of chairman, causing speculation about whether it was related to the accident. Yu Chengdong and He Xiaopeng, the founder of Xpeng Motors, had a fierce debate about the function of AEB (automatic emergency braking system), and the two sides had big differences on the actual performance of AEB.
The controversy dates back to November last year, when Mr. Yu confidently said in an interview that AEB was "a piece of cake" for Huawei. This remark sparked strong dissatisfaction with He Xiaopeng, who publicly questioned Yu Chengdong's perception of AEB as a deviation.
He Xiaopeng believes that although AEB is an important active safety technology, it is not a panacea. It may fail or be slow to react in certain scenarios, such as at high speeds or in unexpected situations. Over-advertising the role of AEB is not only misleading to consumers, but can also pose a safety hazard.
Yu Chengdong did not respond directly to He Xiaopeng's accusations, but in the latest internal meeting, he once again emphasized the leading position of Huawei's AEB system. Yu Chengdong said that Huawei's AEB can not only accurately identify obstacles, but also make reasonable judgments and reactions based on different situations to ensure driving safety.
In the industry, the reason why the two sides have differences on AEB may be related to their respective technical routes. Huawei focuses on the self-developed AEB system, while Xpeng uses the solution of the supplier. Different technical routes may lead to different evaluations of AEB performance.
In addition to Yu Chengdong and He Xiaopeng, other car executives also joined the debate. Some people support Yu's view that AEB is indeed a mature technology; But some people agreed with He Xiaopeng's concerns, calling for not over-publicizing AEB, and that its limitations should be viewed objectively.
Although the debate is fierce, it also reflects the industry's high attention to automotive active safety technology. As an important active safety function, the performance of AEB is directly related to driving safety.
How mature and reliable is AEB? How does it work?
AEB stands for Automatic Emergency Braking System, and as the name suggests, it is able to automatically brake in the event of an emergency, thereby avoiding or mitigating a collision. It uses sensors such as millimeter-wave radar and vision cameras to detect obstacles ahead, and if a risk of collision is detected, the system will first issue an alert, and if the driver does not react, it will automatically activate the braking system.
AEB is not a panacea. Its effective range is mainly concentrated in low-speed urban roads, and for highway situations, the role of AEB will be limited due to the fast speed and short reaction time. In extreme environments such as bad weather and poor visibility, the detection capability of AEB may also be affected.
Although AEB is an important safety assistance feature, it is not a complete replacement for the driver's judgment and operation. Drivers still need to be on high alert at all times and be ready to respond to unexpected situations. Over-reliance on AEB can lead to new security risks.
In addition to AEB, automotive active safety also includes a number of functions such as lane keeping assist, active brake assist, and night vision system. These functions are used to assist driving and improve driving safety, but they do not mean that true autonomous driving can be realized.
When promoting these features, car companies should be objective and rational, and should not exaggerate their role excessively, let alone confuse the public. For marketing purposes, some car companies often use vague concepts such as "autonomous driving" and "intelligent driving" to attract consumers, which is not only misleading, but also may exacerbate the imbalance in public expectations of related technologies.
Truly autonomous driving technology is still a long way from maturity and mass production. It not only requires strong perception, decision-making and control capabilities, but also needs to be fully adaptable to various complex scenarios to ensure absolute safety and reliability.
In the process of intelligent vehicles, safety must be put first. The promotion of any new technology must go through rigorous testing and verification to ensure that it is mature and reliable enough. The government also needs to formulate corresponding regulations and standards to regulate the technical publicity and marketing behavior of car companies to avoid misleading consumers.
Automotive intelligence is the trend of the times, but safety is always the premise and bottom line of development. Only by paying equal attention to technology and regulations, and by working together between consumers and enterprises, can the future of intelligent driving be truly promising.