A few months after the official teaser was revealed, Chinese company Jidu unveiled its first concept: the Robo-01. The full electric SUV made by the automotive manufacturer, the collaboration between technology giants Baidu and Geely, will be produced with the aim of bringing level 4 autonomous driving capabilities to the market.
This concept shows an overview of the production model that will follow in 2023 while retaining 90 percent of the design.
The Robo-01 was featured in a special event hosted in the metaverse before its physical debut at the 2022 Guangzhou Auto Show in November. Visually, Robo-01 has an aerodynamic shape with many curves, futuristic, and a premium design.
Jidu shows three color options that will later be available, namely Star Porcelain White, Nebula Gray, and Galaxy Purple, all combined with a set of black aero-shield wheels that look cool. High-tech LED light which has AI digital pixel technology which can give different signals like thumb image.
This car combines scissor doors at the front, with a suicide rear door, providing easy access to the cabin.
Moving on to the interior, the Jidu Robo-01 features a wide high-definition screen on the dashboard, a mirror replacement camera, a yoke-style steering wheel that can be folded down when not needed, a futuristic center tunnel with a touch-sensitive area, and four individual seats.
As reported by Car News China, the EV is equipped with the DuerOS artificial intelligence software, while the hardware consists of an NVIDIA Orin X chip and a Qualcomm 8295 processor.
More importantly, two Lidars emerge from either side of the hood, with each integrating 128 lasers providing a range of up to 200 m (656 ft). It will be coupled with twelve cameras, twelve ultrasonic radars, and a five-millimeter-wave radar that continuously scans the surrounding area.
Currently, the highest level of autonomy in the market is Level 3 which is owned by Mercedes-Benz, so it is a challenge for the Chinese automaker to introduce Level 4, which will indirectly be closer to fully autonomous vehicles (Level 5).
In reality, the Jidu Robo-01 will be able to drive itself most of the time, but still with the driver’s supervision. Xia Yiping, CEO of Jidu, said that in the new era of automobiles, “driving rights” will be transferred from humans to artificial intelligence.
Jidu has not provided details about the powertrain of this SUV, but is expected to be informed when it debuts in Guangzhou. Production of the Robo-01 will begin in 2023 by Geely, with the first deliveries of the model in China soon to be followed.
The Robo-01 will be priced close to roughly $30,000, making it a bit of a bargain for the technology it carries. Jidu’s first EV will join the second production model launched in the market in 2024.
