Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor has officially started the operation of its SAIC Mobility Robotaxi, claiming it to be China’s first Level 4 self-driving platform.
SAIC says its “Robotaxi” employs “superior resources” – from SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Company, SAIC Motor AI Lab, autonomous driving technology company Momenta, and its ride-hailing service platform SAIC Mobility – to create a data-driven ecosystem featuring continuing evolution in an effort to explore the application of Level 4 self-driving technology in urban mobility scenarios.
There is a lack of clarity about the term “robotaxi”. So far, most companies have used it as a generic term to mean robotic taxi. None of them has yet trademarked the actual word. SAIC doesn’t seem to have done so either, but has the word on the side of its cars.
Robotaxi will have a fleet of 40 vehicles in Shanghai and another 20 will operate in Jiangshu Suzhou this year. In 2022, Robotaxi will have a fleet in Guangdong Shenzhen, with a total of 200 vehicles in operation nationwide.
SAIC Motor AI Lab has cooperated with Momenta to provide intelligent driving solutions to Robotaxi. The platform offers powerful computing power with 600 trillion operations per second. Its “vision + radar” solution can independently complete 3D perception and data-driven fusion to ensure multiple and high-level redundancies in the system.
Based on SAIC Motor’s cloud platform Fin-Shine and Momenta Framework, Robotaxi has established a whole-process data-driven algorithm and efficient closed loop automation tool chain.
On the premise that data and cyber security is ensured, data transmission and technological convergence concerning intelligent driving between Robotaxi and mass-produced vehicles are available, which offers mass data for L4 self-driving to boost the rapid iteration of intelligent driving technology.
Vehicle manufacturing and self-driving safety embody Robotaxi’s hardware strengths in safety. As Robotaxi’s first model put into operation, Marvel R boasts high-strength steel that accounts for 74 percent of its body structure, as well as reliable hardware safety protection. In addition, Robotaxi’s fleet has been restructured by the OEMs to ensure uniformity and quality stability.
In terms of intelligent driving, Robotaxi and mass-produced vehicles share data and technology flow based on Momenta’s unique Flywheel technological insight, using “100 billion km test data” to solve major problems in intelligent driving.
Robotaxi employs the iEPS redundant wire control chassis independently developed by SAIC Motor’s subsidiary DIAS to improve vehicle handling accuracy and improve its safety level with dual-channel redundant backup.
SAIC Motor AI Lab has built an intelligent driving data monitoring platform to create a complete vehicle-to-cloud closed data loop. The platform can master the real-time operational conditions of each Robotaxi vehicle’s intelligent driving system.
Operation services and network data security embody Robotaxi’s software strengths in security. Benefiting from SAIC Mobility’s rich service experience, Robotaxi’s security supervisors have undergone strict selection and professional training to ensure driving safety for the users.
Data encryption, desensitization, and other measures have been adopted to ensure the security of personal information, including facial recognition information and mobility data.
As China’s first ride-hailing service platform to earn ISO27001 certification of its information security management system and ISO27701 certification of its privacy information management system, SAIC Mobility has set up a complete network information security assurance system for Robotaxi to efficiently defend against cyber-attacks, so as to ensure the security of users’ private information.
