A BYD car is seen on a display stand on the first day of the British Motor Show at Farnborough ... [+]
China’s biggest EV maker BYD this week unveiled a leap into driverless systems with its "God’s Eye" system for no extra cost on cars as it continues to rack up market share with less expensive electric vehicle options.
BYD unveiled a new car automation system, stepping up from its existing advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) — which drew criticism from European testers Euro NCAP — to something closer to a level-two "driverless" style automation system that has drawn comparison to Tesla’s own, and perhaps even beyond, with systems that it claims can handle city driving, not just highways.
Notably, the bottom-end Seagull — priced at RMB 69,800 or just shy of $10,000 US — will feature one version of that God’s Eye ADAS that BYD says is capable of driving on motorways for 600 miles without driver intervention.
“[We are] starting an era where autonomous driving is for everyone,” founder Wang Chuanfu said at an event on Monday, according to reports, saying ADAS was no longer a luxury but an "essential" safety tool like belts and airbags.
"BYD has now gone from 0 to 1 in (autonomous driving) development, which will accelerate the adoption rate of the function in the mass market and lead to a wave of upgrades by existing users," Jefferies analyst Johnson Wan was quoted as saying.
Tesla’s FSD is still not approved for use in China, though Autopilot is, including an "enhanced" version with lane-changing abilities.
BYD’s push comes at a tough time for American rival Tesla: sales are down across Europe, reports suggest its cars have the highest accident rate of any auto brand, and car buyers aren't keen on Musk's aggressive politics. On the flipside, Musk continues to promise robotaxis will arrive in Texas this summer.
Build a better automation system
BYD — which stands for Build Your Dreams, and is emblazoned on the rear of some cars — held an event at its Shenzhen headquarters this week, unveiling its "Integrated Vehicle Intelligence" system, as well as its Xuanji architecture and large-language model to support it.
BYD electric cars stand at a BYD dealership on April 05, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. BYD, which stands ... [+]
"The Xuanji Architecture is a vehicular intelligent architecture that serves as both the brain and neural network of the vehicle, enabling an efficient blend of electrification and intelligence. This system seamlessly perceives changes in the internal and external environment of the car in real-time," the company said in a statement.
"It consolidates information at millisecond level and feeds it back to the central “brain” for rapid decision-making," it added. “This system swiftly adjusts the state of the vehicle, significantly enhancing driving safety and comfort.”
BYD’s three tiers
BYD unveiled three different tiers of automation: A, B and C. In short: Tiers A and B use LIDAR and offer city driving as well as motorway automation, while C is the default, lower tier.
The new God’s Eye system supports "navigation on autopilot", which is BYD's version of FSD, but Tier C only works on highways at high speed while the higher-end models have support in-city driving, too. City driving may come to Tier C in a future over the air update, reportedly.
This photo taken on April 18, 2024 shows BYD electric cars for export waiting to be loaded onto a ... [+]
The latter, according to industry insiders, is similar to BYD’s existing system, but with more cameras, equipment improvements, and a beefier processor; it also includes two types of radar for 360-degree views. That will enable Tier C to take on more advanced functions, such as navigating on autopilot and automated lane changes, that are akin to Tesla's FSD. It will be available as the default entry-level system.
Those industry insiders stressed to me that is level 2 automation — of L2.99 that’s almost level 3 — but shouldn't be called "driverless" or "self driving" as the driver remains liable at all times and needs to maintain attention.
Tier A and B are even more advanced, roughly equating to level 3 automation. Tier B includes LIDAR for added data, and will be used on the premium-brand Denza models and some BYD models, according to reports. Tier A has a trio of LIDAR systems and will be used in BYD’s luxury vehicles.
Those industry experts explained that A and B, as described at least, are above and beyond what Tesla has in FSD or on its roadmap — though of course that could change should the robotaxi plans in Austin pan out as promised.
BYD said commuters using the same route would be able to drive autonomously by the end of the year in China, according to reports.
When does ADAS become driverless?
The systems have started to blur the lines between so-called "driverless" systems and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that are required in the EU in limited ways, but have started to include additional features like lane keeping and intelligent cruise control.
We’ll have to wait and see how well BYD's new architecture and intelligent systems work. After all, last year, testing agency Euro NCAP said the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control on the BYD Atto 3 was rated "not recommended" — a damning assessment far below other cars tested in the group.
Euro NCAP reportedly spotted that the speed assistance system didn’t read road signs correctly, while the steering support switched off after a long time of inactivity — which Euro NCAP said equated to "leaving an unresponsive driver to his or her fate".
BYD bringing you driverless?
A few points to note, however. First, BYD is not yet available in the US, and given the state of American tariffs, may not be for some time. A more limited range of BYD vehicles is available in the UK and Europe, with a wider range in its home-market of China.
People look at a BYD Seagull car by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD Auto at the ... [+]
Each region naturally has its own rules around vehicle automation. BYD’s Tier C would be comparable to Tesla FSD in the US and China, according to my industry insiders, but the EU has a reduced specification, requiring the driver to remain in control rather than "hands off".
"It’s worth being aware that neither God’s eye 'C’ or FSD (USA/CN variants) could be deployed in the EU as they are," one industry expert said in an email. “A new EU regulation will come into effect towards the end of this year that allows systems to perform lane changes and drivers to go hands off on the motorway, but we will still have lesser functionality.”
What else did BYD unveil?
BYD teamed up with drone company DJI for what it's calling "the world's first vehicle integrated UAS" — or unmanned aircraft system, such as a drone. To what end? “Stunning aerial views can enhance your travel experience.”
The company also revealed plans to integrate smart voice technology from DeepSeek, the AI company that surprised American AI developers a few weeks ago.
