JiYue, a joint venture between Geely and Baidu, has launched the JiYue 01 – its flagship vehicle that delivers AI and AV functionalities. Presented at a brand event in Shanghai, China, the electric SUV will also be equipped with autonomous driving technologies from Apollo – Baidu’s AV technology business – and based on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture.
Offered in single or dual motor trims, each electric motor in the JiYue 01’s electric drive system can output 268 hp (200 kW) of power. The Max Performance version, with dual motors and an intelligent four-wheel drive, can utilize up to 536 hp (400 kW) of power in either two- or four-wheel drive modes, enabling a 0 to 62 mph (0-100km/h) acceleration time of 3.8 seconds. Customers will also be able to choose between two battery options that each enable different range figures – with the 71.4 kWh option offering 341 miles (550 km) of range, and the 100-kWh battery offering 447 miles (720 km) of range. Its high-speed charging capabilities allow the vehicle to be recharged from 10% to 80% in under 30 minutes.
At the center of the e-SUV’s AI offering is Simo, an all-new voice assistant from Baidu, which offers natural vocal communication capabilities and can manage a broad range of vehicle functions – executing driver commands, providing directions, or giving more general advice. The assistant’s 500-ms recognition speed facilitates quick response times to complex scenarios in and out of the vehicle, four-way simultaneous conversations, and continued conversations. It also integrates multi-modal interactions such as voice, gestures, and visual cues to enhance personalization. SIMO is backed by Ernie Bot, Baidu’s integrated AI system that enables it to develop new capabilities in logical reasoning and strategic planning. The JiYue 01 also supports voice-controlled parking while outside the vehicle. This allows users to command the EV to use its autonomous valet parking function to park itself, or pick up users, in indoor or outdoor parking lots from up to two kilometers away.
The EV’s automated driving features are supported by advanced AI chips – including Qualcomm’s 8295 vehicle cockpit chips, and Nvidia’s Drive Orin autonomous drive chips. Further support comes from its vision-centric intelligent drive architecture, which is based on 11 high-definition cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 5 millimeter wave radars.
In addition to its standard set of automated driving features, users can subscribe to the Robo Drive Max service to gain access to further intelligent drive systems. Among these are a Point to Point (PPA) navigation assist system, and the AVP autonomous valet parking functionality – which can be activated on many highways in China. The systems will initially be made available in Hangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai, with Geely and Baidu planning to expand its reach to a further 200 cities in 2024.
Robo Drive Max’s PPA navigation assistance system is capable of fully-autonomous lane changing and overtakes, highway on and off ramp maneuvering, multi-lane obstacle avoidance, identifying zebra crossing and traffic lights, giving way to pedestrians, making unprotected left turns, avoiding non-motorized vehicles, and more. ROBO Drive also includes many standard intelligent driving functions such as lane keeping, autonomous parking assist, collision warning, lane departure warning, intelligent cruise control, lane changing, and parking spot finding.
Looking ahead, following the launch of its first vehicle, the JV confirmed plans to announce its second product in the near future.
