Chongqing - In line with Chongqing's vision of building a world-class hub for Intelligent Connected Vehicles (ICVs) and New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), Bridging News hosted industry luminaries for a roundtable on "AI Applications and Challenges in NEVs and ICVs Industry."

Guests provided insights into the transformative trajectory of the NEVs and ICVs arenas, focusing on the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI). Key discussions centered around pioneering areas like autonomous driving, emphasizing data security issues and real-world applications.

Further emphasizing the momentum, the 2023 Smart China Expo (SCE) in Chongqing, set for September 4-6, will spotlight ICVs and NEVs, mirroring the escalating trends in the worldwide automotive realm.

'AI to reduce traffic accidents to zero' vision

Shen Guoyang, Deputy Director of the AI+X Center at the Chongqing Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized the significance of AI in enhancing user experience within vehicles.

"ICVs can use more natural and fluid interactions with passengers," he said. "We can develop a smarter voice assistant, enabling vehicles to understand passengers' needs, giving drivers and passengers greater freedom in controlling the vehicle."

Shen envisions a networked vehicular ecosystem driven by intelligent, connected technology. "This enables centralized control systems to optimize vehicle routes, significantly improving the efficiency of road networks."

Tang Yu, Director of the System Research Department of Information and Intelligence Division, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI), highlighted the AI potential in driving innovation.

"Technologies such as machine and deep learning will play an important role in autonomous driving vehicles," Tang said. "We hope to use intelligent driving technologies to reduce traffic accidents to achieve the zero vision."

Land-Sea Roundtable | AI Applications and Challenges in NEVs and ICVs Industry. (Photo/Kenny Dong)

SOTIF enhancing safety quotient of self-driving cars

Following the introduction of China's first fully automated bus service, Yongchuan district in Chongqing is steering toward becoming a regional powerhouse for autonomous driving in western China. This ambition was realized last year when Baidu Apollo successfully rolled out an autonomous ride-hailing robotaxi service within this area.

"We are exploring various business models across diverse scenarios to drive cost savings and efficiency for users," said Lou Fangdi, Operations Director of China Merchants Auto-trans Technology Co., Ltd. A notable breakthrough from their stable is the traction control system, building a tunnel across different systems to get the data.

In addition, Tang emphasized its pivotal position in actualizing autonomous driving. He elaborated on AI's capabilities in processing immense volumes of sensor data. Leveraging machine learning, AI emerges as a potent tool in object recognition, tracking, and classification.

Tang also highlighted the long-tail problem plaguing high-tier autonomous vehicles. Given the intricacies of ensuring these vehicles navigate every possible situation, the industry is turning its attention to SOTIF (Safety of the Intended Functionality), aiming to bolster the safety quotient of self-driving cars.