Autonomous vehicles in China: funding announcements and new production capacity
The past week in China's autonomous vehicle industry was busy, from funding announcements to new production capacity. Here are four major announcements.
Trunk.Tech raised more than $30 million in funding
Chinese autonomous vehicle developer Trunk.Tech raised more than $30 million in funding. In 2018, Trunk.Tech became the first company to receive a permit for commercial road testing in China.
Trunk.Tech has been developing L4 autonomous driving technology since its founding in 2017. According to CEO Tianlei Zhang, the company's goal is to produce and operate autonomous trucks at scale over the next five years.
The company's product lineup includes Trunk Highway, Trunk Port and Trunk Cloud. Trunk Highway is an L4 driverless semi-trailer, while Trunk Cloud is a cloud service platform that supports large-scale operation of autonomous trucks. Trunk Port is designed to automate port hubs. It adds an automated cargo terminal that moves containers within the port.
Earlier in 2021, Trunk.Tech's autonomous trucks and cargo vehicles began test operations at Section C of the Tianjin port in China. The company initially deployed six autonomous trucks at the port, followed by 20 autonomous terminal cargo vehicles.
The funding round included Yuexiu Industry Investment Fund, ZWC Partners and BHCP. Previous investors included RBVC, the venture capital arm of Germany's Bosch Group, and Iflytek.
You can see Trunk.Tech's autonomous terminal trucks in action in the video below.
AutoX is building a dedicated production facility for AVs
AutoX is giving the world its first look at its L4 robotaxi production facilities. The facility opened in July 2021, the same month AutoX unveiled its Gen5 self-driving system.
The Gen5 system includes two main sensor towers mounted on the roof of the vehicle and a set of blind-spot sensors. The vehicle's computing unit, the AutoX XCU, is located under the trunk and runs the autonomous driving software stack.
The factory's production line was designed to build the AutoX Gen5 system and robotaxis. According to AutoX, this is the first dedicated facility of its kind in China. The plant is equipped with ABB robots, as well as control and transmission systems from Siemens, Omron, Schneider Electric, Philips, SEW and Mitsubishi.
“We position ourselves as the company that can provide an AI-driven driver platform that will allow automakers and operators to enter the era of driverless driving. A fully autonomous robotaxi is the future of mobility. We are glad to have the opportunity to lead this revolution in China”
AutoX currently operates its autonomous robotaxi service across 168 km² in Shenzhen, covering the entire Pingshan district.
Haomo.AI raised $157 million
Chinese startup Haomo.AI raised $157 million in funding. The funding came from GL Ventures, Meituan and Qualcomm Ventures, among others. The company plans to use the funds to expand its R&D (research and development) capabilities and grow its talent pool.
Company chairman Zhang Kai said the funding "marks the first victory we have ever achieved in our struggle for survival in the prolonged race of autonomous driving".
Formerly the intelligent driving division of Great Wall Motor, Haomo.AI is developing L4 autonomous driving technology and working to make L2 technology more accessible.
The company plans to use its L4 autonomous vehicles to deliver groceries and other goods with partner companies such as Meituan. In addition, Haomo.AI plans to make its L2 driving system available for 34 vehicle models by the end of 2022. It is currently available in Great Wall Motor models.
Plus and IVECO begin testing in China
Self-driving truck company Plus and commercial vehicle brand IVECO of CNH Industrial will jointly conduct tests in Europe and China.
“We have always emphasized that automated driving technology must undergo extensive and thorough testing to ensure it can handle different types of weather, terrain and driving scenarios. This test project will comprehensively help accelerate the mass production of heavy-duty autonomous trucks”
In April 2021, the companies announced that IVECO S-WAY trucks would be equipped with Plus's L4 autonomous driving system. The new partners plan to test their integration and assess how well the system handles different road conditions and driving scenarios.
In 2019, Plus established a joint venture with Chinese automaker FAW to develop autonomous trucks for China. In 2020, it launched its first commercial pilot in China.
