Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD has announced its ‘God’s Eye’, or DiPilot advanced intelligent driving assistance system, a new and improved AI self-driving system. It’s still unclear how the system compares to Tesla’s self-driving software but, since BYD is already the world’s largest EV producer, any significant improvement over the American competition is bad news for Elon.
BYD goes autopilot
The system consists of three tiers: DiPilot 600, the most capable of the lot, uses a triple-LiDAR-equipped system for the company’s Yangwang models. DiPilot 300 uses a single LiDAR unit and is aimed at “Denza and select BYD models”, while DiPilot 100 swaps out the LiDAR systems for a front-facing tri-camera setup and as the entry-level system will presumably be available to all cars from the company.
The DiPilot 300 and 600 systems will have access to the High-speed Navigation On Autopilot (HNOA) feature which enables equipped vehicles to follow set navigation paths while also entering and exiting ramps, lane keeping and changing and avoiding obstacles effectively.
Another feature, Automated Valet Parking, allows owners to automate self-parking tasks like drop-off and go, and self-parking after locking, supposedly based on “users’ parking habits and various driving scenarios.”
Memory Navigation on Autopilot (MNOA) is another self-driving feature for riskier high-frequency travel routes, like commutes. It achieves this with functions like automatic stop-and-go at traffic lights, passing through complex intersections, automatic overtaking, and more. An impressive feature list, for sure, but seeing it in action on South African roads is another story.
BYD maintains that the DiPilot System can enhance drivers’ safety. In HNOA mode, the DiPilot 100 system can auto-pilot itself for over 1,000km without manual intervention. The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) function can supposedly “reliably stop at speeds up to 100 km/h.” The company also plans on extending this number to 120km/h and 140km/h. BYD also claims the braking system has a success rate of 99%, though the company didn’t delve into the tests’ specifics.
