Mobileye, an automotive subsidiary of Intel, announced Tuesday, January 4, to partner with the Zeekr brand to develop a new level 4 consumer autonomous vehicle. It is a brand of high-end electric transport technologies, a subsidiary of the Geely group, and present throughout the world. This association is in fact the extension of a previous partnership between the two companies. This autonomous car is expected to be launched in 2024 in China.
Mobileye and Zeekr combine their innovative technologies
The two companies have declared that this future autonomous vehicle will be the first in the world to be level 4. Concretely, this means that it will always be equipped with a steering wheel and pedals and will still require a driver, but it will be able to drive itself. 100% autonomous in certain situations. This partnership ” reflects how well Mobileye and Zeekr are aligned with the vision for future mobility », Considers in a communicated Amnon Shashua, President and CEO of the Intel subsidiary.
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This car will be equipped with no less than six EyeQ 5 chip systems developed by Mobileye. It will also integrate all of its mapping data with the REM road experience management system. In particular, he creates 3D maps. Regarding power, braking and steering, it will use Geely’s open source architecture, called SEA, ” as part of an Open EyeQ concept “.
This architecture must allow ” efficient integration with Zeekr software technologies “. The car will also be based on Mobileye Drive technology. With EyeQ, it allows in particular the warning of imminent collision, the detection of vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists.
This partnership, and the priority given to the Chinese market for the launch, also allows the Israeli company to strengthen its presence in China. She plans to hire more workers there and build a data center there.
Mobileye offers in its partnerships an innovative system for detecting obstacles on the road, called EyeQ, used in particular for its robotaxis. Image: Intel.
The first level 4 autonomous vehicle
This fully electric autonomous vehicle is already presented as the first level 4 in the world intended for the general public, while its launch is not expected in China until 2024. It will be extended to others. markets worldwide thereafter – no specific date has been given – and is expected to be produced under the Zeekr brand.
What is the difference with autonomous vehicles of lower levels? Currently, there are no truly stand-alone ones for sale to the general public. Most are intended for fleets of taxis, a sector that the Intel subsidiary has already invested. Rather, levels 2 and 3 refer to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Currently, one of the most advanced is Mercedes’ Level 3 Drive Pilot, ahead of Tesla’s Level 2 Autopilot.
A truly stand-alone system requires very expensive hardware and software, which currently makes it too expensive to sell to a large audience. This is why those which are automated are now reserved for professionals.
Level 4 cars should become more democratic and become accessible to as many people as possible, but above all this requires manufacturers to succeed in lowering manufacturing costs and therefore increasing margins. With their project, the two actors therefore want to go faster than the others.
A partnership to “lead the global ADAS industry”
Zeekr is a subsidiary of Geely, which is well established in the automotive sector. The group indeed owns Volvo, already in partnership with Mobileye, and the Polestar electric vehicle brand. “ Mobileye has been a strategic partner in our mission to provide lifestyle vehicles suitable for a more sustainable and autonomous future of transportation. “Said its CEO, Andy An.
The Chinese group recently entered into a partnership with Waymo, belonging to Alphabet (Google’s parent company), to develop a fleet of robotaxis. Currently Mobileye is testing robotaxis in Paris with RATP. Intel, in financial difficulty, relies heavily on its automotive flagship. The American company intends to list its subsidiary on the stock exchange, with a valuation estimated at more than 50 billion dollars.
In addition to RATP, Zeekr and Volvo, the company has established partnerships with Sixt, BMW, Ford and General Motors. Bought in 2017, it should allow Intel to relaunch in the semiconductor market, now dominated by Samsung, NVidia and especially TSMC. This sector, in full expansion despite a global shortage, has become vital for the automobile. By 2030, 20% of the material costs in manufacturing premium cars will come from semiconductors. Developing it is therefore of crucial importance for the American group.
Zeekr has already forged several partnerships in the autonomous electric vehicle sector, such as Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet. Picture: Waymo.
Especially since autonomous and electric vehicles appear to be a new El Dorado. ” Our partnership supports the shared ambitions of Zeekr and Mobileye to lead the global ADAS and audiovisual industry », Affirms Andy An. An El Dorado, however, closely watched by state institutions, which do not hesitate to launch investigations when an automated driving system is implicated in an accident.