Autonomous driving for a 9,000 euros car

With a driver but under intense rain and with a car that can be bought in China for 9,000 euros to the direct change.

Those have been the bases of the autonomous driving test that Byd has made available to have a contact with the Eye of Godthe most advanced system of the Chinese company, which already works in the Asian country and that will reach all cars of the company.

Regardless of its price.

First of all, the eye of God

Although the experience will arrive below, it is important to present what the eye of God is, what their credentials are and what is proposed.

A few months ago, Byd presented its most advanced autonomous driving system. Nothing especially new if it weren’t because I was punching the industry table. His great attraction is that he will reach all his cars, regardless of its price.

That is the real incentive. Until now, the most advanced functions in autonomous driving systems have been sold as extras or as a part of a complete but high price. They are, in short, a source of income with which it is even tantest with subscription services As Tesla does, for example.

With his eye of God, Byd aspires to generate added value to the product to attract new customers. That the most basic models allow you to enjoy vented services so far seems like a good strategy. The big doubt is: What will happen to that income?

On this we ask Stella Li during our brief talk at a round table with other fellow journalists. Then, Byd’s vice president just said that they had already thoroughly studied the matter and “contemplated other income paths” but without explaining to them what they were.

Much has been written since then and one of the possibilities that seem more evident is income generation through its own store of applications within the vehicle’s infotainment system, which allows you to visualize or access any other time contained in a stop … or on the way.

The latter is what is aspired in cars with More advanced autonomous driving levels And even, it would be to legally possible In the United Kingdom if Mercedes could apply the sufficient conditions to activate your level 3 of autonomy With Drive Pilot. But it is still, new, limited to vehicles of the high range.

Byd has pointed out that the system, base, will reach all its vehicles but has three levels. The first is only available on the highway and is the one we have tried. This is our experience.

A 9,000 euros but autonomous car

He Byd Dolphin Surf (Surname Seagull in China) arrives at our hotel led by an employee of the company. He picks us up to start the test and go to filmed traffic.

For a few minutes, the driver takes various exits and we check some details that tell us that we are facing a different car. On the outside, the Seagull differs from our Dolphin Surf in a camera in the front fins.

Inside, the resolution of the cameras, which is quite good in our national model, seems even better here. In the instrument table a greater number of objects are displayed that around the vehicle (pedestrians, other cars, cones …) that appear and disappear while the vehicle advances.

Curiosities, in the browser, in addition to the route, at each crossing the waiting time of the traffic light is shown with a countdown if it is closed. When it opens, a small sound warning alerts the driver. And if the traffic light allows the free passage of vehicles, the regressive account indicates, how much time it remains for the traffic light to close.

This is not something exclusive to byd but it is surprising how well it works. Especially since it detects the traffic light that corresponds to us, since the main traffic light does not always coincide with those of taking a detour to the right or left and take another exit.

In those we are when the driver takes the exit to the highway. It makes us a gesture. In the browser a gray signal has appeared that indicatesThe eye of God is available. The driver has the opportunity to press it on the touch screen or activate it with a steering wheel button. Opt for the second … and nothing happens.

And it is the best thing to say. Ahead we have about thirty kilometers to travel with an autonomous driving system. The driver keeps his hands under the steering wheel but does not pressure and, really, if he wanted to take control of the car for an error of it would cost him a precious time before taking the controls.

That is, the car is the one that keeps us on the road without help.

First, the operation is very good, scratching the excellent. The car is kept focused on the lane and from there the curves, or dilating joints or bridge structures do not move. These last two are felt a lot to our path but the Dolphin Surf Byd remains unchanged.

The only point at which it suffers a little is when another vehicle advances us and is located A few meters ahead of the vehicle. When cutting the trajectory and safety distance disappears, the braking is too abrupt.

However, the car recovers the speed with a shallow ease and, above all, with a very good decision that, this time, does not fall into abruptness. Acceleration is clean and progressive.

That black point is really the only one. During our test, the Dolphin Surf Byd had to face complex weather conditions. He had a good time raining when we got into the car and on the road he kept a lot of water. So much so that the spray hindered rain and a truck came to leave us “blind” when we advance it.

It was not an impediment for Dolphin Surf to give the best of itself in an environment in which other cars we have tried have trouble maintaining adaptive cruise control. Where is the difference here? First, we do not have to bring our hands on the steering wheel and, secondly, the car changes alone.

The latter can be decided by the driver or completely yield the decision to the vehicle. In the latter case, the car always remained in the lane on the left since we were traveling at the maximum allowed speed on the road and it was the lane that the indications showed as more conducive to reaching our destination.

But, in addition, it must be taken into account that in China there is no obligation to circulate on the right, so any lane is suitable for overtaking. Thing that the Dolphin Surf did with full sufficiency every time it was found at a crossroads or approached the outer lanes to prepare the output maneuver to the urban environment.

The performance on all occasions seemed extraordinary. The lane change occurred with a security and tranquility that surprises, without fluctuations and without sudden movements that can create insecurity.

And in those we were when I checked the two situations that most caught my attention. The first is less surprising but it was Very well managed. The vehicle needed to change to the right to take one of the exits. It was going to move when he found that there was no sufficient security distance with the vehicle that circulated in the new lane a few meters further back. He showed the yellow lane in the instrument box and remained on the site.

Nothing new but in other vehicles the system would have canceled the maneuver. Here, simply, he kept it active until the later vehicle left the lane and was free, at that time it complemented it.

The second one that struck me even more attention. We traveled through the left lane when a Volvo began to approach at a very high speed (and above what is allowed). The car solution was to change to the right so as not to hinder the passage and resume the lane once it beat us. A management that demonstrates to what extent the car correctly understood the environment.

Really surprised

Yes, the proof was done with a driver and we are not facing the eye of God more advanced than BYD has available.

But that does not remain an apex of merit to the experience. Do not forget that this is delivering by standard in a car of less than 10,000 euros to change. One that, in Spain, can be bought For just over 11,000 euros If we access all the aids of the MOVES PLAN But that, of course, you can buy for less than 20,000 euros.

There are not many more rivals below that price and there is, for me, better alternative to buy if we want a purely urban car. Both electric and combustion.

We have to see what the system’s performance is in a Chinese megaciudad. We tried it in Xi’an, a city of 13 million inhabitants. Both there and in the endless Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzen, more populated, and with a traffic as bulky as Xi’an, the challenge for programmers and engineers must be capitalized.

Because it is not exclusively about cars, you have to contemplate the flow of motorcycles, with such anarchic and unexpected walk at the first glance as logical when you see calmly.

You also have to see if Byd manages to deploy the system Out of China. There, all the kilometers we have made have made them on very careful, very wide and well painted roads. So far, Chinese brands (and byd are included) They have not managed to move a good experience With semi -autonomous driving systems in Europe, with narrower roads and, in many cases, in worse condition.

We trust, yes, that at least all this research and development expense does allow them to land part of this knowledge to European vehicles and at least we can enjoy better systems for driving.

Photos | Xataka

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