Autonomous vehicles are evolving into 'thinking robots' with End-to-End AI learning human driving habits, including 'bad habits' like rolling stops and speeding. This raises legal questions about accountability and the challenge of explaining AI decisions, leading to hybrid architectures where AI operates with an independent safety filter.
Morgan Stanley analyst Tim Hsiao predicts AI advancements will soon bring Level 3 autonomous driving to market, potentially becoming the norm. Carmakers will need to upgrade AI capabilities for both driving and in-car experiences to differentiate EVs.
China’s state secrets authority warned that foreign spies use elaborate cover stories and technology to collect sensitive data. The first episode of a five-part CCTV documentary cited a case in Dalian involving disguised monitoring equipment.
Zelos Technology, a Chinese robovan firm, believes Southeast Asia and the Middle East offer double the revenue potential compared to its domestic market. The company, which merged with Cainiao's autonomous vehicle unit, sees international expansion as crucial for profitability and competitiveness, emphasizing AI capabilities.
Waymo is recalling its autonomous driving software that allowed its vehicles to drive on flooded roads. The recall affects 3,791 vehicles that operate using Waymo's fifth and sixth generation systems. In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Alphabet-owned company said that an unoccupied Waymo robotaxi "encountered an untraversable flooded section of […]
WeRide boss Tony Han Xu believes the first fully autonomous cars may arrive on streets by 2035, as global carmakers and tech firms accelerate the application of self-driving technologies despite roadblocks. The latest setback came when Chinese regulators stepped in after an incident in Wuhan on March 31. Authorities scaled back the issuance of new autonomous driving licences after a system failure on March 31 involving Baidu’s Apollo Go fleet, which left passengers stranded and disrupted traffic...
China is tightening licensing requirements for robotaxis after a March 31 system failure involving Baidu's Apollo Go fleet left passengers stranded during evening rush hour in Wuhan, disrupting traffic for hours. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology convened a meeting with transport authorities urging the industry to conduct self-inspections and strengthen safety oversight. While curbs do not amount to a complete halt, new approvals for autonomous driving licenses will be harder to secure as regulators shift focus from rapid expansion to safety and stability.
Chinese robotaxi firms from Pony AI to WeRide are accelerating global roll-outs of commercial fleets, leveraging cost competitiveness from the country’s world-leading new energy vehicle (NEV) supply chain and improved operational efficiency, company executives have said. China’s NEV supply chain had helped reduce the total cost of Pony AI’s upgraded seventh-generation robotaxi – including the base vehicle, battery and autonomous driving kit – to below 230,000 yuan (US$33,700), making it cheaper...
At the Beijing Auto Fair, Chinese automakers showcased autonomous driving tech as they pivot to AI-powered services after domestic sales fell 17%. Huawei announced a £8.7bn investment over five years, while Chery set a goal of 10m global sales by 2030. Chinese companies expect to sell one in 10 new cars in Britain this year.
Huawei announced it will invest 18 billion yuan in autonomous driving R&D in 2026, claiming it will exceed the combined investment of all other major autonomous driving solution providers. The Shenzhen-based tech giant's Qiankun ADS platform has surpassed 10 billion kilometres of autonomous driving and is installed in over 50 vehicle models, with 1.7 million vehicles delivered to Chinese customers.
Hesai, the world's largest lidar sensor maker for cars, plans to design and manufacture its own chips rather than rely on third-party suppliers, CEO David Li Yifan announced at a media briefing. The company says existing chip providers cannot meet the specific needs of lidar sensor development, as no other company develops chiplets specifically for lidar makers. The announcement comes as Chinese EV manufacturers increasingly demand powerful computing capabilities to support advanced autonomous driving features, with Xpeng claiming its indigenous Turing chip outperforms Nvidia's Drive Orin X by three times.
Hesai Group, the world’s largest maker of vehicle lidar sensors, introduced technology it said would raise autonomous driving features to a new level by detecting colour to improve the reliability of object identification. The Shanghai-based maker of light detection and ranging sensors said its 6D full-colour platform would deliver lidar sensors with world-leading capabilities in ranging and small-target identification. 6D refers to the sensors’ ability to detect the X, Y and Z coordinates of...
A pivotal year for self-driving cars has begun in China, with the first “hands off” models approved to ply public roads, carmakers gearing up to mass-produce them and the first mandatory safety standards for autonomous vehicles out for public comment. The first carmakers were given the go-ahead in mid-December to build electric vehicle (EV) models with Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving capability. On an international scale from L0 to L5, an L3 autonomous vehicle can operate independently under...
