China’s EV race: Great Wall Motor-backed start-up Haomo unveils 3 new ‘low-cost’ L2 autonomous driving systems
Haomo.AI, an autonomous driving technology start-up backed by Great Wall Motor, is to offer carmakers three new driver-assistance systems it claims are cheaper and better than existing ones in what could mark a step forward in China’s push to revolutionise mobility.
The Beijing-based company said its new products will cost vehicle assemblers as little as 3,000 yuan (US$411) apiece, significantly less than many comparable self-driving systems in the market. They are capable of Level 2 (L2) autonomy which, according to SAE, a global standardisation body, provides assistance to the driver but requires active supervision.
On average, an L2 system costs at least US$2,000, according to Chen Jinzhu, CEO of consultancy Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service.
“We hope to provide our clients with low-cost [autonomous driving] solutions,” Haomo’s chairman, Zhang Kai, said on Wednesday at an event to launch the new “Hpilot” systems. “These three newly released second-generation Hpilot passenger car ADS (advanced driving assistance system) products are lower in price but higher in performance compared with previous ones.”
Most intelligent vehicles in China are classified as L2 or L2+, which stipulate that the driver must be alert and ready to take control at any time.
China has yet to approve L3 autonomous driving, which does not require hands on the steering wheel and allows drivers to safely take their attention off the road in certain traffic conditions.
Haomo said its new systems provide slightly different degrees of autonomy depending on the requirements of the driver and their environment. Zhang said mass production of the three driver-assistance products will start as early as this year.
The HP170, priced between 3,000 and 3,999 yuan, enables autonomous driving on highways and expressways, automatic emergency braking, and short-distance memory parking.
The HP370, with higher computing power and more radar sensors, supports driving in urban areas and is priced from 5,000 to 5,999 yuan.
The HP570, priced between 8,000 and 8,999 yuan, is semi-autonomous on urban roads and offers all-scenario parking assistance.
‘We hope to provide our clients with low-cost [autonomous driving] solutions,’ Haomo’s chairman, Zhang Kai, said at an event in Beijing to launch the new systems on October 11. Photo: SCMP Handout
“The prices Haomo charges are very impressive and it is sure to bolster use of driver-assistance systems in China,” said Phate Zhang, founder of CnEVPost, a Shanghai-based electric-vehicle data provider. “Indeed many Chinese carmakers are trying to add autonomous driving features to their vehicles in an economical way.”
In the mainland, 35 per cent of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles delivered to customers in the first half of 2023 were fitted with autonomous driving systems on par with L2 or L2+, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
In total, the mainland’s carmakers handed over the keys to 3.08 million EVs from January to June, up 37.3 per cent on the year, CPCA data showed.
Some carmakers, like Guangzhou-based Xpeng, have received approval to test their advanced driver assistance systems for commercial use.
Some Xpeng cars, fitted with the company’s X NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) software, are now capable of autonomous driving in China’s four biggest cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
China is the world’s largest EV market, with young drivers in particular drawn to cars kitted out with intelligent features.
Intelligence is measured by the vehicle’s digital bells and whistles, manifested in such built-in features as voice-activated controls, facial recognition, over-the-air software upgrades, phone-linked features and self parking capability.
China’s congested roads, vast population and long urban commutes have created a voluminous data file that helped compress the learning curve for self-driving systems, getting them into the mainstream sooner than many other markets, analysts have said.
Haomo’s investor, Great Wall, is China’s largest sport utility vehicle (SUV) maker.
It is looking to expand abroad, buoyed by its manufacturing heft, and recently announced plans to establish a plant in Vietnam in 2025 to assemble electric cars.
