Lotus tech for self-driving taxis in China
CaoCao Mobility has launched an autonomous driving platform for ride-hailing powered by Lotus Robotics.
The technology is currently being piloted in Suzhou and Hangzhou in China and will be rolled out globally and in Europe by the end of the year.
Lotus Robotics is the self-driving technology unit of Lotus, owned by Geely. CaoCao Mobility is a ride-hailing business also backed by Geely alongside Proton, Volvo, PoleStar, Zeekr and Lynk & Co. The service uses a full-customised car for autonomous driving and fully automated operations.
Both companies have successful completed a pilot programme across Suzhou and Hangzhou in China, with the self-driving technology achieving 13,545 km of driving in test areas without human intervention. Lotus Robotics and CaoCao Mobility will continue operating across both cities in China, as it looks to refine the vehicle-road-cloud integration model, blending vehicle intelligence with infrastructure to address persistent challenges including unexpected pedestrian crossings.
This follows a deal for Lotus Robotics with Aramco Digital to explore implementing robotaxis in the Middle East.
Lotus Robotics has developed a full self-driving software stack called ROBO Soul which can be integrated into any vehicle, in any environment. The company currently offers an end-to-end solution and can provide up to level 4 autonomy, which means the vehicle can perform driving tasks such as parking and highway driving, under specific circumstances, with human override as an available option. Components of this technology are currently being employed in Lotus’ next generation electric vehicles, its hyper-SUV, Eletre, and hyper-GT, Emeya.
ROBO Galaxy is a range of cloud-based tools that underpins ROBO Soul. It enables businesses to manage and analyse data, in order to increase efficiency and accessibility of their autonomous fleets. Lotus Robotics collects data from multiple sources such as sensors, road information and algorithms, so ROBO Soul can continue to learn and improve its self-driving capabilities throughout its testing and development phases.
ROBO Matrix uses real-time monitoring to provide drivers with improved remote safety including guidance, control, and parallel driving solutions through analysing real-time data. It also deploys AI to continually learn from its environment and improve the safety and accuracy of its self-driving.
This enables urban road navigation without the reliance of maps, otherwise known as ‘Navigate on Autopilot’ (NOA). This allows transitions between highways and urban roads, smart lane changes, intersection U-turns, and detouring.
High navigation precision achieves variable lane driving, seamless transitions between highways and city roads, U-turns at intersections, intelligent lane selection, and smart obstacle avoidance, among other functions.
Lotus Robotics currently works with multiple leading global automotive brands to enable them to reap the benefits of self-driving technology including Lynk & Co, Farizon Auto, and more.
To scale its offering and deliver to customers around the world, the company has tapped into Amazon Web Services (AWS). It stores and analyses the data collected across its product portfolio on AWS, and adheres to all regulations in each market it operates in.
www.lotus.com; Cao Cao Mobility
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