The strength of China's autonomous driving start-ups is gradually recognized by global auto giants.
On May 15, local time, Renault Group officially released its autonomous driving strategy and announced that it would cooperate with WeRide, a leading company in the field of autonomous driving technology. The results of the partnership are scheduled to be demonstrated for the first time at the French Open on May 26, 2024.
In the personal vehicle segment, Renault Group is focused on driver assistance systems at Level 2 and Level 2+, covering specific functions such as Situational Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist and the upcoming automatic overtaking technology. Renault believes that it is not practical to achieve full autonomous driving of individual vehicles at this stage, and assisted driving can improve the safety and comfort of driving, but the driver still needs to be responsible for driving the vehicle.
On the other hand, Renault is optimistic about the huge potential of autonomous driving technology in the field of public transport. In Europe, more than 400 major cities are set to become low-emission zones, and residents are expected to demand thousands of autonomous minibuses in the next few years. The Renault Group has been researching and investing in autonomous public transport for many years. In 2023, Renault announced the "Mach 2 Project", which aims to integrate electrified self-driving minibuses into the public transportation system of Chateauroux Metropole in France from 2026.
In the future, the Renault Group will launch a robotized electric minibus platform based on the all-new Renault Master. The platform is able to integrate automation solutions from professional partners such as EasyMile, Milla, and WeRide. The more flexible and autonomous minibuses will be able to operate safely 24×7 hours a day, making them a zero-emission transportation solution. Thanks to the savings in labor costs and carbon emissions, this minibus is extremely cost-competitive and has a bright future for promotion.
Renault Van Product Renault Master: Now, Renault Group, as a partner of the 2024 French Open, will partner with WeRide to provide electric and autonomous bus services to facilitate spectators to the Roland Garros Stadium. From 26 May to 9 June 2024, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, this trial service will take passengers from the P2 car park (located on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne) to the Roland Garros Stadium. After the match, the self-driving bus will also provide a service from the Roland Garros Stadium to Porte Ottoi Square or back to the P2 car park.
In the future, Renault Group will further deepen its cooperation with WeRide to explore the large-scale commercial deployment of L4 autonomous vehicles. In the near future, WeRide will cooperate with Renault Group in Europe. As early as 2018, Alliance Ventures, a subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, invested in WeRide, which was established only one year ago. WeRide has carried out autonomous driving R&D, testing and operation in 30 cities in 7 countries around the world, with nearly 1,500 days of operation and more than 700 autonomous vehicles, including 300 minibuses. These vehicles have traveled more than 28 million kilometers in Asia, the Middle East and North America.
At present, WeRide has entered the stage of commercial operation of autonomous driving, and its commercial revenue ranks first among similar companies in the world, forming five product matrices, including self-driving taxis, self-driving minibuses, self-driving freight vehicles, self-driving sanitation vehicles, and high-end intelligent driving. Renault Group's popularization of autonomous driving from public transportation may be a means worth learning from and thinking about for the goal of low-carbon travel, especially for small and medium-sized towns. Among them, China's technology start-ups are expected to occupy a larger share of the global autonomous driving application map.
The author of this article is Kick Car Gang Wen Feng