Photo: Didi Chuxing
Robotaxis are here to stay and it looks like it won’t be long until most ride-hailing companies rely solely on driverless cars. Well-known names in the industry are doing it and emerging startups are also developing self-driving technology, both in the U.S. and China.
Didi Chuxing, mostly known for having purchased Uber China, is announcing the next step in the development and testing of their Didi Autonomous Driving technology, called Gemini. In order to create a future robotaxi fleet, the Chinese ride-hailing company is partnering up with Volvo.
Volvo will provide XC90 cars for the future Didi self-driving test fleet. The XC90 models that are set to integrate the Didi Gemini technology will have backup systems for steering and braking, as an additional safety measure. In case any of the primary systems happen to fail during driving tests, the backup system is able to then stop the vehicle.
Didi Gemini is designed with almost 50 different sensors that enable the vehicle to get a wider range and also maintain visibility in unfavorable weather conditions, like rain or fog. The self-driving hardware platform also features four fisheye cameras on all sides, which provide multi-view monitoring for the safety control center.
Another interesting feature of Didi Gemini is actually geared towards other people in traffic. This interactive screen on top of the vehicle displays the mode that the car is in, when the car is parking, for example, so that there’s no confusion about what the robotaxi is up to.
“In expanding partnerships with global automotive industry leaders, we believe shared, electric and autonomous vehicle networks will be crucial for future urban transport systems to achieve the highest safety and sustainability standards,” said Bob Zhang, CEO of Didi Autonomous Driving.
On the other hand, this new partnership reinforces Volov's long-term strategy of becoming a major partner for ride-hailing companies that are developing autonomous driving technologies.
Volvo will provide XC90 cars for the future Didi self-driving test fleet. The XC90 models that are set to integrate the Didi Gemini technology will have backup systems for steering and braking, as an additional safety measure. In case any of the primary systems happen to fail during driving tests, the backup system is able to then stop the vehicle.
Didi Gemini is designed with almost 50 different sensors that enable the vehicle to get a wider range and also maintain visibility in unfavorable weather conditions, like rain or fog. The self-driving hardware platform also features four fisheye cameras on all sides, which provide multi-view monitoring for the safety control center.
Another interesting feature of Didi Gemini is actually geared towards other people in traffic. This interactive screen on top of the vehicle displays the mode that the car is in, when the car is parking, for example, so that there’s no confusion about what the robotaxi is up to.
“In expanding partnerships with global automotive industry leaders, we believe shared, electric and autonomous vehicle networks will be crucial for future urban transport systems to achieve the highest safety and sustainability standards,” said Bob Zhang, CEO of Didi Autonomous Driving.
On the other hand, this new partnership reinforces Volov's long-term strategy of becoming a major partner for ride-hailing companies that are developing autonomous driving technologies.
Google News