Chinese premium electric car manufacturer Zeekr has announced the arrival of its self-driving system in China. This technology is of course reminiscent of Tesla’s famous FSD system.
With the advent of the electric car, but also the various restrictions of the legislature, research and development around autonomous driving has slowed somewhat in recent years.
Nevertheless, in recent months the race for the autonomous car has started again. In Europe, for example, it has now been possible to experience level 3 autonomous driving since September 2022, while Tesla launched its FSD system in beta.
This autonomous driving system is still in development, but already seems to attract many customers: this is evident from the sales figures of this expensive option ($15,000) in North America, where it can only be marketed at the moment. .
In terms of autonomous driving, Tesla generally leads the dance, although many manufacturers, such as Mercedes in particular, have been working and achieving convincing results in recent months. But it is not only American and European manufacturers who are interested in it.
Only in China for now
In China, high-end manufacturer Zeekr has unveiled its 2023 driving plan, taking the opportunity to announce that its automated driving system will enter testing in January in China. This generally mirrors the Zeekr M-Vision concept car that was recently presented at the Guangzhou Motor Show, a kind of robo-taxi without a steering wheel and equipped with a level 4 autonomous driving system.
The Zeekr NZP system – this is the name of the technology – enables a car to develop autonomously in its environment, i.e. adjust your pace according to the situation (city junction, motorway, etc.), change lanes or “make long journeys without human intervention”, according to Zeekr.
During the presentation of Zeekr 009, the manufacturer stated that this model will be the first minivan in the world to have an autonomous driving system with NZP technology.
At the forefront of technology
The first model to benefit from this system will be the Zeekr 001. To do this, the sedan incorporates two Mobileye EyeQ5H chips, seven 8-megapixel high-definition cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars and a millimeter wave radar. Zeekr says there’s also a new active cruise control that can automatically adjust the distance over a speed range of 0-130km/h depending on the speed of the car in front.
There is also the “risk avoidance” function, which allows if there are pedestrians, non-motorized vehicles or large vehicles on the side of the road, the vehicle will automatically slow down and then drift slightly while remaining in its lane.
Still in the “learning phase”.
This “beta” feature (although not called that by Zeekr) will also learn through its testing process. The technology will thus register the different traffic lights, work zones or new developments and then adapt its automated driving system.
It should also be remembered that Zeekr is associated with the Israeli company Mobileye, which develops anti-collision systems, driving assistance systems, but also autonomous driving systems. Mobileye and Zeekr recently introduced one of the world’s most advanced driver assistance packages with no less than seven eight-megapixel cameras (in addition to four parking cameras) offering a 360-degree perspective.
We explain to you what the different levels of autonomous driving correspond to. Between fully autonomous driving, semi-autonomous driving and driving aids, we help you see things more clearly.
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