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"Robovan"! China's L4 enterprise has created it, faster than Tesla

Publisher:TranquilSoulLatest update time:2024-10-16 Source: 超电实验室 Reading articles on mobile phones Scan QR code
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The road is short of a final step


WeRide has already built the Robovan that Musk just released.

On October 15, autonomous driving company WeRide released its new generation of mass-produced Robotaxi - GXR.

It should be a major product launch, but WeRide did not whet users’ appetite like Tesla did. The launch process was very low-key. Moreover, this car is not only a mass-produced car, but also just one step away from official operation.

WeRide said that this model is currently in the process of obtaining an operating license. Once it is officially put into public operation, passengers can use the "WeRide Go" app to select the operating area and ride.

Not long ago, Robotaxi became popular in China, and Tesla's Robotaxi also made its debut. With the arrival of GXR, the Robotaxi track is about to become popular again.

01
No B-pillar design makes it easy to get on and off the vehicle

Different from the sci-fi appearance of Tesla Robovan, the appearance of WeRide GXR is obviously very down-to-earth. It looks like an ordinary van, and it is hard to imagine that it is a driverless car.


It looks familiar from the appearance, and is very similar to Geely's Remote Super VAN. Even the vehicle's logo is a direct copy of the Geely Remote Super VAN.

That’s right, GXR is developed based on the Remote Super VAN wire-controlled intelligent architecture, and this was also confirmed by the official account of Remote New Energy Commercial Vehicles after the release of GXR.


Compared with the previous generation of driverless cars, the newly released GXR has a larger space. In official words, GXR is the mass-produced Robotaxi model with the most spacious experience in the world to date.

The vehicle length of 5018mm, the clear height of 1340mm and the extra-long wheelbase of 3100mm are enough to ensure that the interior space is not bad.

Specifically, after the co-pilot seat in the car was cancelled, more space in the front row was freed up for passengers, because for a Robotaxi, more attention needs to be paid to the experience in the back row.

Because the co-pilot seat is cancelled, the GXR's second-row effective legroom exceeds 0.5 meters, and the third-row effective legroom exceeds 0.4 meters. The CTP battery and three-in-one electric drive design also greatly reduces the floor height, leaving ample headroom.


In addition, the new car also adopts a hidden B-pillar design. The front door and side sliding door can be opened at the same time. The sliding door can open up to 2.1 meters wide. The maximum opening space is 1831mm wide and 1285mm high, forming an extra-large door opening, which is very convenient for passengers to get on and off the vehicle.

GXR also has a separate carry-on luggage area that can accommodate at least one carry-on backpack and one 22-inch suitcase.

The design also takes passenger safety into consideration. There are no sharp corners or sharp angles in the car. Emergency exit signs are affixed to all four doors, and the center armrest box is equipped with a slow-stop button and a window-breaking safety hammer.

In terms of sensors, the GXR is equipped with WeRide's new generation sensor suite Sensor Suite 5.6, which has a total of three sensor modules, namely the lidar module on the roof, the camera module on the front windshield, and the blind spot perception module around the vehicle.


It is equipped with more than 20 sensors including lidar, high-definition and high-dynamic cameras, RTK high-precision combined inertial navigation modules, etc., which can achieve 360° blind-spot-free perception around and 200 meters ahead without dead angles, covering extreme scenes such as high dynamics and low light.

In addition, the GXR is equipped with a new HPC 2.0 high-performance computing platform, which can provide more than 1300TOPS AI computing power and has a full range of redundant systems including architecture, FO wire-controlled chassis, computing units, and braking.

According to WeRide, GXR is in the process of obtaining an operating license. After it officially starts public operation, passengers can use the "WeRide Go" service travel app to check the GXR operating area, select the nearest boarding point and destination, and start experiencing it.


Although WeRide believes that this car will "reshape the driverless travel experience", the launch process was handled very low-key, with only an official announcement article published on the official account. It was far less high-profile than the debut of Tesla Cybercab. As for the price, WeRide did not disclose it. Judging from the various sensors, the cost should not be low.

02
Looking up at the stars and keeping your feet on the ground

As one of the earliest companies in China to deploy autonomous driving, WeRide was founded as early as 2017. It is also one of the few travel companies in China that has always adhered to the L4 autonomous driving route. It was once considered the "first L4 autonomous driving stock."

Of course, it has also created many firsts in the field of autonomous driving, such as the world's only autonomous driving company that has obtained autonomous vehicle testing licenses in four countries; the first company to provide L4 paid RoboTaxi services to the public and has the longest operating history; the first company to launch driverless Robobus, Robos sweepers, and Robovans to the public on open roads.


Currently, WeRide has carried out autonomous driving R&D, testing and operations in 30 cities in 7 countries around the world.

It is not difficult to see from the honors received above that WeRide’s current strategic focus is quite clear, focusing on the operation of public services, mainly in scenarios such as driverless taxis, driverless buses, driverless sweepers, and driverless urban distribution logistics vehicles.

But as we all know, autonomous driving, which has not yet formed a commercial closed loop, is a "money-burning" track, and autonomous driving companies are generally not profitable.

The prospectus shows that from 2021 to 2023, WeRide's revenue will be 138 million yuan, 528 million yuan and 402 million yuan respectively, with a total revenue of 1.068 billion yuan.

"We have not been profitable since our inception, and this situation may continue in the future." WeRide reminded in its prospectus that it currently relies on a few customers. In the first half of 2024, the two customers with the largest revenue contributed 52.4% of the revenue.

In the first half of this year, the loss further expanded. In the first half of 2024, WeRide's revenue was 150 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 17.8%. The adjusted net loss expanded again, with a loss of more than 80 million yuan compared with the first half of 2023.


In order to avoid continuing to burn money at a high intensity, WeRide had to temporarily put its "ideal" on hold and start walking on two legs. By entering the L2+ intelligent driving track, it achieved some hematopoietic capabilities and began to transform from pure L4 autonomous driving to an autonomous driving business model based on L2+ intelligent driving.

According to the prospectus, WeRide's revenue is mainly divided into two major segments: product and service revenue, namely selling cars and selling technology.

Among the products, the company sells self-driving taxis, driverless minibuses and other products, while service revenue mainly comes from the provision of L4 self-driving services and ADAS R&D services.

In October 2022, WeRide cooperated with Bosch to develop ADAS technology and products. In March 2024, the solution was mass-produced and commercially released.

At present, WeRide’s high-end intelligent driving solution has been mass-produced on Chery Xingji ET and Xingji ES, with standard high-speed NOA and urban NOA in some cities for internal testing.

Facts have proved that although it did not stick to its original intention, the "curve-saving" approach has brought WeRide a lot of benefits.

Before 2023, product revenue accounted for the majority of the two revenue segments, accounting for more than 60% of the revenue. The prospectus shows that starting from 2021, the revenue from products and services will be 102 million yuan, 338 million yuan, 54 million yuan and 37 million yuan, 190 million yuan, and 348 million yuan respectively in the three years.


It is not difficult to see that after 2023, service sales will begin to account for the majority of revenue. By the first half of this year, service revenue accounted for more than 80%. The growth of service revenue is also mainly due to ADAS R&D services.

The prospectus shows that in 2023, the customized R&D services provided by WeRide to Bosch increased ADAS R&D service revenue by 105.2 million yuan, and the total service revenue for that year was 347 million yuan.

Even though it has tasted success, WeRide is still sticking to the L4 technology route. The GXR released today shows its determination.

While looking up at the stars, WeRide keeps its feet on the ground and is about to start running fast towards the Robotaxi track.


Reference address："Robovan"! China's L4 enterprise has created it, faster than Tesla

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