DeepRoute has unveiled its ambitious plan to expand its footprint into overseas markets, with Germany being its initial destination. This strategic move was revealed by the company’s CEO, Zhou Guang, during the ongoing Munich auto show, IAA Mobility 2023.
The company’s expansion into Germany will entail the establishment of a European operations center, scheduled to open its doors in the coming year. DeepRoute plans to introduce overseas versions of its cutting-edge technology, including the Driver 3.0 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), its smart driving products D-Pro and D-Air, as well as its smart-driving light trucks.
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DeepRoute, founded in February 2019, made significant strides in the autonomous driving sector. In April 2021, it became the first company to conduct manned robotaxi tests in Shenzhen, China. Notably, in September 2021, the company secured a substantial $300 million Series B funding round led by Alibaba, marking Alibaba’s first investment in a Chinese autonomous driving firm.
DeepRoute’s commitment to innovation is evident in its product offerings. In December 2021, the company introduced Driver 2.0, a breakthrough solution priced at less than $10,000, setting a record as the lowest-cost option in the industry at the time. Furthermore, in March of the current year, DeepRoute unveiled its revolutionary Driver 3.0 solution, designed to enable mass production for automakers without relying on high-definition maps.
Driver 3.0 comprises two distinct versions: D-Pro and D-Air. D-Pro, with a hardware cost of $2,000, boasts features such as Valet Parking Assist (VPA) and point-to-point navigation, all without the constraints of Operational Design Domains (ODD). On the other hand, D-Air, priced at $1,000, focuses on driver assistance functionalities like Automatic Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Centering Control (LCC), and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), all without the need for high-definition maps.
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DeepRoute showcased its Driver 3.0 system at the IAA Mobility 2023 event, demonstrating its advanced capabilities to a global audience.
Currently, DeepRoute is actively engaging with several international car companies to offer its cutting-edge technologies. The company has taken the initiative to adapt its system to German road conditions and the driving habits of local users, ensuring its seamless integration into the German market.
To meet the unique challenges of German highways, known for their absence of speed limits or higher speed limit values on some stretches, DeepRoute has bolstered its overseas version of the intelligent driving system. This includes the incorporation of features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and emergency steering assistance.
Notably, Driver 3.0 stands out by its ability to swiftly adapt to the German market. It achieves this through precise sensing capabilities that enable high-level intelligent driving on city roads and highways, relying solely on navigation maps, without the need for high-definition maps, as highlighted by Zhou Guang, the CEO of DeepRoute.
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The overseas versions of D-Pro and D-Air, based on the Driver 3.0 platform, will retain the same hardware configuration as their Chinese counterparts. This includes the utilization of Nvidia’s Drive Orin chip, ensuring cutting-edge performance and reliability.
DeepRoute’s foray into the German market represents a significant step in its global expansion strategy, marking the beginning of its journey to provide innovative autonomous driving solutions to a broader international audience.
