Tesla has unveiled its latest innovation, ‘Actually Smart Summon’ (ASS), a feature that allows your Tesla to navigate autonomously to your location or a designated spot. This hands-free convenience is particularly appealing for situations like shopping in inclement weather, retrieving your car from a distant parking spot, or summoning it to your location at a friend’s house.
Tesla, known for its reliance on cameras for its Full Self-Driving system, was recently spotted testing a Model X equipped with LiDAR. This contradicts CEO Elon Musk’s previous statements against LiDAR technology. The sighting raises questions about Tesla’s approach to autonomous driving and the role of LiDAR in its future.
Xpeng, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, has announced a significant milestone with its first AI chip, Turing. This chip, designed for L4 autonomous driving, boasts three times the computing power of Xpeng’s current chip and will be utilized in its electric vehicles, robots, and flying cars. The successful tape-out of the Turing chip marks a key step towards mass production and enhanced autonomous driving capabilities for Xpeng.
Warren Buffett-backed BYD, a leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, is collaborating with technology giant Huawei to integrate the latter’s autonomous driving system into BYD’s off-road ‘Fangchengbao’ EVs. This partnership aims to enhance the premium offerings of BYD and boost their sales, particularly in the high-end market.
Chinese autonomous driving startup WeRide has reportedly put its US IPO on hold. This decision comes days before the deadline for regulatory approval and amid heightened US scrutiny of Chinese autonomous and internet-connected vehicles. The company was seeking to raise up to $119.4 million through the offering, but the current environment may have prompted the delay.
Tesla has announced a delay in the rollout of its full self-driving (FSD) driver assistance technology on its Cybertruck vehicles. The initial release of parking assistance features is scheduled for this week, with FSD expected to arrive in September. This marks a further delay from previous timelines set by CEO Elon Musk.
Tesla’s dominance in the autonomous driving market is facing growing skepticism, with prominent Tesla investor Gary Black questioning the company’s ability to maintain a monopoly in the unsupervised L4/L5 autonomy sector. Black highlights the progress of competitors like Baidu, Mobileye, and Waymo, who have already received approvals to deploy their autonomous vehicles. He also raises concerns about the timeline and reliability of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, pointing to the lack of evidence supporting its unsupervised capabilities.
Mazda has unveiled its first global electric sedan, the MAZDA EZ-6, in China. The car will be produced in partnership with Changan Mazda and will be available in both the Chinese and European markets. The EZ-6 boasts advanced autonomous driving features and is designed to deliver the same Jinba-Ittai driving experience Mazda is known for.
A new study by heycar suggests that despite advancements in car technology, many UK drivers still trust their own abilities over automated systems, particularly when it comes to parking and navigation. The survey found that 57% of drivers believe they are better at parking than their car’s autonomous system, and 37% feel they have a better sense of direction than their sat nav.
Hesai Technology, a leading lidar provider, has formed a strategic partnership with Westwell, a global autonomous driving solutions company. The partnership will see Hesai’s lidar technology integrated into Westwell’s autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, and smart city applications, enhancing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
