At the Forefront of Time and Quantity, CHANGAN Automobile Obtained 17 Level-3 Autonomous Driving Test Licenses
According to official information from CHANGAN Automotive, on November 17th, the company successfully obtained 17 licenses for L3-level autonomous driving road tests on high-speed roads. This achievement establishes CHANGAN Automotive as the earliest and, in a single batch, the largest recipient of L3-level autonomous driving test licenses on high-speed roads in the industry.
As of December 21st, CHANGAN Automotive's 17 L3-level autonomous driving vehicles have successfully completed a 34-day road testing period, as reported. In the future, CHANGAN Automotive plans to closely monitor the requirements of Chinese regulations and, with the support of policies, introduce L3-level autonomous driving features to the market at an appropriate time.
As the year-end approaches, the domestic NOA battle among cities in China is intensifying, coinciding with the formal implementation of L3 testing policies. In mid-November, four Chinese ministries jointly issued a notice regarding the pilot work on the admission and on-road operation of intelligent connected vehicles, providing specific requirements for the admission standards of L3/L4 autonomous driving and enhancing related regulations. This signifies a clear policy support and responsibility framework for the deployment of advanced autonomous driving in China.
The introduction of the new policy has opened the floodgates for the long-awaited mass production of the intelligent automotive industry. The application for autonomous driving testing licenses comes with strict requirements for production enterprises, test vehicles, and other aspects. The fact that CHANGAN Automobile has obtained as many as 17 testing licenses is a testament to its formidable strength in the field of intelligent driving. It also represents recognition and support from relevant industries and regulatory authorities.
It has been revealed that, with the support, supervision, and guidance of the Chongqing Municipal Government and other departments, CHANGAN Automobile conducted L3-level autonomous driving road tests on the Inner Ring Expressway in a specific area of Chongqing. Spanning 74.1 km, the route is characterized by challenging terrains, including construction zones, steep slopes, continuous curves, bridges, tunnels, and merging ramps. With heavy traffic, the one-way section's highest flow reaches 94,000 vehicles per day, and the peak flow reaches 7,300 vehicles per hour. The entire route routinely experiences traffic congestion during morning and evening rush hours, providing a stringent test environment for CHANGAN Automobile's autonomous driving capabilities.
The vehicles holding the recently acquired licenses for autonomous driving tests is the award-winning model, the DEEPAL L07, recipient of the German Red Dot Award. This model is equipped with an L3-level traffic congestion autonomous driving system. The system complies with various regulations and standards such as the "Classification for Automated Driving" and the "General Technical Requirements for Autonomous Driving Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles", and UN ECE R157 ALKS. The development process spanned five years, aiming to create a high-performance autonomous driving product that not only prioritizes safety and reliability but also fulfills the genuine needs of users.
S07i, another standout model from the DEEPAL family, shares the same sophisticated DEEPAL AD system as the L07i, delivering intelligent driving tailored for Chinese road conditions. It focuses on three key scenarios: highway navigation, urban cruising, and parking. In highway navigation, it excels with a takeover interval of less than or equal to 500 kilometers per instance, surpassing industry standards. It can adeptly handle ramp merging, achieving a success rate of over 98%. In urban cruising, it effortlessly navigates over 97% of merging scenarios, featuring comprehensive safety perception to enhance travel security. The S07i also supports 13 parking assistance modes, covering over 150 parking scenarios, with an average parking time of less than 35 seconds. Its capability to park in narrow spaces exceeds that of 97% of human drivers.
In the coming stages, CHANGAN's autonomous driving products will continue road testing based on the natural geographical advantages of Chongqing. The testing scenarios will be more diverse and challenging, providing a variety of real-world situations for autonomous driving operations. This approach solidifies a strong foundation for the commercial deployment of CHANGAN's autonomous driving vehicles and contributes to the widespread application of intelligent connected vehicles in the country. It enhances the performance and safety standards of intelligent connected vehicle products.
CHANGAN Automobile is not just at the forefront of intelligent technology but is also sprinting ahead in production speed. Han Sanchu, Chief Software Architect at CHANGAN and CTO of CHANGAN Technology, stated, "Our aim in intelligent driving is to have domestically mass-produced vehicles at the top tier by next year".
Its confidence is rooted in the independently developed SDA platform architecture, serving as a tangible manifestation of the steadfast commitment to "software-defined cars". SDA, which supports L3+ autonomous driving, aims to depart from high-precision mapping, embracing a pure visual perception of the route. The approach involves a gradual evolution of the neural network from 2D to 4D.
In addition, SDA is equipped with the first domestically designed cockpit-integrated "UNIBrain Superbrain Central Computing Platform", boasting a maximum computing power exceeding 1000 Tops. Simultaneously, the independently developed "RateX Operating System" achieves a system response time of less than 5 microseconds. The establishment of the "Quark Intelligent Computing Center" supports the connection and control of over 10 million intelligent vehicles.
At the same time, serving as the driving force for CHANGAN's transformation towards the era of intelligent vehicles, the CHANGAN NEVO Application Platform incorporates newly developed intelligent technologies in mass production. This accelerates the technological iteration across the "chip, machinery, map, core, cloud, network, and space" aspects, leveraging the "Super Chip" central network architecture to establish an industry-leading advanced autonomous driving experience. CHANGAN NEVO has already released products such as A05, A06, A07, and Q05 this year, and by 2025, it plans to introduce 10 new intelligent and connected vehicle products.
Furthermore, through collaboration with strategic partners, CHANGAN is leveraging premium resources to drive the implementation and advancement of intelligent driving. Its high-end intelligent electric vehicle brand AVATR has introduced the industry-leading intelligent flagship models AVATR 11 and AVATR 12. In October of this year, AVATR Technology gradually initiated the NCA driving technology, achieving comprehensive coverage of the three core scenarios: high-speed driving, urban driving, and parking. This breakthrough promises users an expanding horizon of intelligent driving experiences.
CHANGAN's three major intelligent electric vehicle brands, CHANGAN NEVO, DEEPAL, and AVATR, have collectively formed a new development pattern to meet the diverse demands of various market segments. The sales performance in November also reflects a significant upward trend. Within 30 days of CHANGAN NEVO's launch, the delivery exceeded ten thousand units, reaching 10,287 units. DEEPAL achieved a delivery volume of 16,157 units in November, with the cumulative delivery of DEEPAL S07 surpassing 50,000 units. AVATR also progressed steadily, with 4,080 units delivered for AVATR 11 and over 20,000 units for AVATR 12. The rapid growth of new energy vehicles contributed to CHANGAN's total sales of 227,000 units in November, representing a year-on-year increase of 23.0%.
Throughout its history, CHANGAN Automobile has adhered to the independent research and development of its core technologies. In the field of autonomous driving technology, CHANGAN is not only a pioneer but also a leader. It has consistently stood at the forefront in the field of autonomous driving, laying a solid foundation for its future competitiveness in the intelligent vehicle sector.
CHANGAN Automobile began the groundwork for intelligent driving as early as 2009. Over the past 14 years, the company has accumulated experience in the large-scale production of more than seven generations of intelligent driving systems. It has established a comprehensive system engineering-based development framework for intelligent driving and obtained the first ASPICE CL2 certification in China with an EE-level system engineering.
CHANGAN Automobile embarked on establishing autonomous driving verification capabilities as early as 2013, supporting the delivery of two million vehicles equipped with intelligent driving functions, covering over 20 billion kilometers in mileage, and maintaining a flawless safety record with zero casualties related to autonomous driving incidents. In 2016, CHANGAN's autonomous driving vehicles achieved the milestone of active lane change on highways, marking it as the pioneering Chinese automotive company in conducting long-distance unmanned driving tests.
As of 2023, CHANGAN Automobile has established a high-quality, high-safety, and high-reliability software development and verification system. The company has obtained the first ISO 26262 ASIL-D functional safety certificate for limited condition autonomous driving in China. Additionally, CHANGAN has constructed an integrated security assurance system and has successfully passed national-level practical tests for three consecutive years. This marks a significant step in CHANGAN's transformation into a technology company specializing in intelligent and low-carbon travel, under the guidance of the Dubhe Plan.
As the era of intelligent advancements unfolds, the transformative impact on the driving experience becomes increasingly evident. Through extensive testing across diverse and complex road scenarios over an extended period, the groundwork is being laid for the widespread adoption of Level 3 autonomous driving. With the implementation of Level 3 autonomy, the reduction in traffic accidents caused by lack of attention and complex road conditions will be substantial. Moreover, it envisions a future where drivers can fully liberate their hands and feet inside the vehicle, manifesting the vision of the automobile as the "third living space".
In the midst of this thriving intelligent driving competition, CHANGAN Automobile stands at the forefront, fully equipped and ready for the competition.