Geely and Baidu have officially launched the 01 ROBOCAR, the world’s first consumer vehicle featuring Baidu’s full Apollo suite of Level 4 autonomous driving solutions. This futuristic autonomous electric vehicle (EV) marks a significant milestone in the partnership between Baidu and Geely, which began in January 2021 when Baidu expanded from software development into physical EV production.
Under the JIDU marque, the partners aimed to popularize autonomous driving and human-machine interaction technologies. The ROBO-01 concept, introduced in early 2022, was a pivotal part of this endeavor. It featured a unique internal voice interaction system that allowed seamless communication between the driver, the vehicle, and the surrounding environment.
In August of the same year, Geely took on a more prominent role in JIDU and increased its financial stake, leading to the creation of the JiYue marque. With this restructuring, Geely now owns a 65% stake in the venture, and the brand operates under its umbrella, while Baidu maintains a 35% minority stake. Despite the changes, JIDU continues to operate as a separate entity and technology facilitator, passing on its name, logo, and the 01 ROBOCAR to JiYue.
The official launch of the 01 ROBOCAR has been long-awaited, with enthusiasts following its journey from a concept to a mass-produced vehicle for over two years. JiYue introduced the AI-centric EV at its ROBODAY 2023 event in Shanghai.
Chinese consumers can look forward to several exciting features when the 01 ROBOCAR hits the streets. It’s built on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and comes with two battery variations: 71.4kWh and 100kWh, providing impressive ranges of 550km (342 miles) and 720km (447 miles) CLTC range, respectively. Furthermore, the EV boasts rapid charging capabilities, going from 10% to 80% charge in under 30 minutes on a DC fast charger.
The powertrain options are diverse, with single and dual motor configurations offering 200kW or 400kW of power and impressive acceleration from 0-100km/hr (0-62 mph) in just 3.8 seconds. JiYue emphasizes that the 01 ROBOCAR is the first mass-production model to employ Qualcomm’s 8295 intelligent vehicle cockpit chip, which supports the automaker’s intelligent vehicle AI partner, SIMO.
The vehicle’s autonomous features are powered by NVIDIA DRIVE Orin autonomous drive chips and a vision-centric intelligent drive architecture that includes 11 HD cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 5-millimeter wave radars. These technologies support the EV’s ROBO Drive Max feature, available through a monthly subscription. ROBOCAR owners can enjoy Point to Point (PPA) navigation assistance, which includes fully autonomous lane changing and overtaking, highway on and off-ramp maneuvering, multi-lane obstacle avoidance, identifying zebra crossings and traffic lights, giving way to pedestrians, making unprotected left turns, and avoiding non-motorized vehicles.
JiYue highlights that the 01 ROBOCAR’s autonomous capabilities extend to 90% of China’s highways and three urban cities – Hangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai – with ambitious plans to expand to over 200 additional cities in China in 2024.
While the official launch is a significant milestone, pricing details have not yet been disclosed. However, JiYue is eager to begin deliveries shortly. Looking ahead, the marque is committed to further development, with a second model, previously teased as the ROBO-2, in the pipeline. The automotive world eagerly anticipates the innovations and advancements this partnership will bring to the realm of autonomous driving and electric vehicles.
