Full road condition experience with WM Living Pilot

Entering 2019, ADAS assisted driving gradually becomes the must-win battlefield for automakers. The prices of models equipped with ADAS assistance continue to drop to about 200,000 yuan, but the functions that can be realized vary greatly, and the actual performance is also uneven. In March of this year, I had a test drive experience on WM’s Living Pilot in Mianyang, Sichuan. The short experience left me with a good impression, but the test drive route was not comprehensive enough. Now we have a long-term test car of ZhiXing 2.0 version EX5. After 5 days of driving experience, I think that if you are familiar with its temperament, this set of auxiliary system can bring you a lot of convenience.

Excellent performance at high speeds, not recommended for use in complex urban conditions

The core functions of WM’s ADAS assisted driving are TJA (low-speed follow-up assistance) and ICA (high-speed cruising lane central driving assistance). The working range of TJA is 0-60 km/h, and the working range of ICA is 60 km/h-130 km/h. That is to say, WM’s ADAS assisted driving system is available for the full speed range.

Next, I will introduce the actual performance of this set of assisted driving from three aspects.

The start/adjustment method can be more convenient

Press the button in the middle of the left side of the steering wheel. Three symbols will appear on the instrument panel: distance to follow, ACC adaptive cruise working indicator, and speed setting indication. At this time, the ACC adaptive cruise range is in standby mode.

Then, press the Logo button on the small steering wheel in the middle of the left side of the steering wheel. A blue steering wheel symbol will appear on the instrument panel. At this time, the assisted driving system is in standby mode. Press SET- to activate the assisted driving. The setting speed can be adjusted by RES+ and SET-, and the following distance can be adjusted by “2” and “3”.

All the buttons related to assisted driving are located on the left side of the steering wheel, and the indications are also very clear and easy to operate. A total of three buttons need to be pressed to activate this assisted driving system, which is not too much, but personally, I hope it can be more convenient.

The way of speed adjustment is what I hope to optimize. Press RES+ or SET- once to increase or decrease the speed by 2 km/h. Press and hold to increase or decrease the speed by 5 km/h. It may take some time to increase the set speed from 80 km/h to 100 km/h, and there is a certain delay in the response of the button. As a frequently used function, I hope that the speed adjustment can be more handy.

Good visual interaction, auditory interaction can be improved

The visual interaction of WM’s assisted driving system is concentrated in the central area of the LCD instrument panel. In addition to displaying the current assisted driving settings and speed limit signs, the vehicle also displays the vehicles detected on the three lanes in front of the car, and the displayed vehicle images differ depending on the vehicle type, mainly cars, box trucks, and non-motorized vehicles. In addition, the lane line is displayed on the instrument panel according to the actual curvature.

As a driver, you can judge whether the vehicle has recognized the lane line and obstacles through the information changes on the instrument panel, which can give people confidence.

However, the auditory interaction is not very good. The reminder sound of entering and exiting the WM’s assisted driving system is very short and the sound is too light to play a warning role.

Suitable for enclosed road sections

In actual use scenarios, I divide them into three types: urban roads, elevated ring roads, and highways.

On urban roads, WM’s assisted driving system can be turned on. The system will first recognize the lane line and keep the vehicle driving in the center of the lane based on the recognized lane line.

If the lane line is not recognized, the system will detect the vehicles in front and follow the trajectory of the preceding vehicles, and at this time, the lane lines on the instrument panel will disappear, and the target vehicle to be followed will become blue. This means that even if there is no lane line, WM can pass through traffic lights at intersections based on the preceding vehicle’s trajectory.

However, if there is no vehicle to follow and no lane line, WM’s assisted steering will not intervene.

After the actual experience, I do not recommend everyone to turn on this function in complex urban traffic conditions. Even Tesla, which has the best assisted driving among mass-produced cars currently, is the same. There are two reasons:1. The lane markings on city roads often change, and there are often situations where 3 lanes become 4 lanes at intersections, which often confuses the system’s decision as to which lane to take.

There are too many uncertain factors on open roads. Currently, the detection hardware of vehicle regulation level is insufficient to cope with and judge such complex scenarios. Therefore, in the current situation of city roads, due to the complexity of the roads, driving oneself is far easier than using assisted driving. Let’s now move on to the actual performance on closed roads such as elevated highways, ring roads, and expressways.

Firstly, once the speed exceeds 60 km/h, the system will only run based on the recognized lane markings. The lane markings of these closed road segments are very clear, and the system’s identification is not under much pressure for the WmAuto system. I have used the WmAuto assisted driving system for a long time on the outer ring elevated road and G60 Shanghai-Kunming Expressway in Shanghai and found that it can to a certain extent reduce the fatigue of the driver.

Our company has a Model 3, which has already driven more than 6000 km. I have thoroughly experienced it, so I believe that the WmAuto assisted driving system performs almost as well as the Tesla Model 3 on the expressway, but the premise is that you have understood the temperament, ability, and bottom line of this assisted driving system.

During my tested high-speed journey, the system drove for more than 90% of the time. This is because the lane markings are clear, and the expressway is very smooth, with orderly lane changes and overtaking. Therefore, the WmAuto assisted driving system can cope with most road conditions.

However, this does not mean that I can be distracted and do other things. Throughout the process, I had to keep my hands on the steering wheel and pay attention to the current road conditions in case of sudden changes, such as the emergence of ice cream barrels that guide lane changes due to road construction, which the WmAuto system cannot identify.

On elevated road segments, 70% of the journey can be entrusted to the system. Elevated road segments have two significant differences from expressways:

Firstly, the speed is relatively slower, and the traffic flow is relatively disorderly.

Secondly, there are relatively more exits, and the curvature of the road is relatively large.These two factors pose some challenges for WM Motor, especially during peak hours on highways where traffic is dense. Although WM Motor’s follow-up distance is closer than that of Tesla, thus largely avoiding aggressive drivers attempting to change lanes, there are drivers whose aggressive driving behavior cannot be detected by WM Motor’s front camera or front millimeter-wave radar. Therefore, the driver needs to take control of the vehicle. Nevertheless, under normal highway driving conditions, the WM Motor’s ADAS assisted-driving system can be used.

Above are macroscopic experiences under three types of road conditions. Here are some further detailed Q&As:

Can ADAS be used during severe traffic jams?

Although the lane markings are clear during traffic jams on highways, the mid-distance monocular camera in the front of the vehicle is not able to identify lane markings due to the high density of vehicles. Therefore, at this point, the system will recognize the vehicle in front and follow its trajectory. However, the overall vehicle control is relatively mediocre, so it is not recommended to activate the turning assist. Full-speed-range ACC can be used instead.

Will ACC continue to follow the vehicle after it has stopped?

If the front vehicle hasn’t moved for more than three seconds after stopping, the WM Motor will stop following it. In this case, drivers may lightly tap the accelerator pedal or press RES+ to reactivate ACC.

What if I want to change lanes while driving?

Currently, WM Motor EX5 does not support automatic lane changes. Drivers do not need to exit ADAS to change lanes. They simply activate the turn signal and the turning assist will disengage itself. After changing lanes, the turning assist will automatically re-engage after detecting the lane markings.

Even if the turn signal is not activated, drivers can still change lanes. When the system detects an external force, the turning assist will automatically disengage without significant changes in steering control. Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot, the driver still controls the vehicle.

How well does WM Motor’s ADAS recognize lane markings?

Under good lighting conditions, this ADAS system has good lane recognition even with faint or missing lane markings. However, the system cannot recognize lane markings in extreme lighting conditions or on sharp curves like ramps.

How well does the full-speed-range ACC control acceleration and deceleration?

Speed adjustments within a small range are seamless, and WM Motor’s braking system recovers energy, making it friendly to energy consumption while using ADAS. However, when abrupt stops are required from high speed, WM Motor’s braking system is slightly later than expected, resulting in stronger braking force.

The best cost-effective ADAS in the same price range

After reviewing the features that can be implemented and the actual performance, let’s take a look at the perception hardware of this WM Motor EX5 ADAS system:* One front monocular camera located above the gearbox with a resolution of 1280 x 960 for recognition, classification and localization of various environmental factors of vehicles in front. The detection distance of the vehicle can reach 120 meters, and the detection distance of pedestrians is 60 meters.

Three millimeter-wave radar sensors, one located at the front of the car with a detection range of 160 meters and a detection angle of 90 degrees; two rear millimeter-wave radar sensors located on the left and right sides of the rear bumper with a detection range of 80 meters and a detection angle of 150 degrees.

Four surround-view cameras located at the front, rear, and underneath the side mirrors.
Twelve ultrasonic radars.

Although the test-drive car we used was the WM EX5 500 Innovative Edition version 2.0, priced at 209,800 yuan after subsidy, this WM assisted driving system is standard in the EX5 400 Exploration Edition version, priced at 159,800 yuan. This lowers the threshold for owning a car with an assisted driving system. Compared with some cars of the same level that only have assisted driving functions in the top configuration, WM is still outstanding.

If you understand it, it will be your good helper.

To summarize, all current assisted driving functions are just supplementary, and drivers must keep monitoring the road conditions and controlling the vehicle during driving. The bottom line and capabilities of each assisted driving system are different, and every driver needs a learning and adapting process. As for WM’s assisted driving system, I felt nervous when I first used it, but it did save a lot of effort on the elevated and high-speed roads after I become more familiar with its capabilities.## The significance of Weima EX5 2.0 in the ADAS market and the availability of the regular version

The Weima EX5 2.0 version with Zhihang ADAS system is worth considering if you want to enjoy ADAS at a price range of 150-200 thousand yuan, especially when the domestic Model 3 is offered for a lower price of 328,000 yuan (with an additional 2-3K cost for AP). Although Tesla is also making efforts to lower the entry barrier of Autopilot, there is still a large market demand for ADAS products priced below 300,000 yuan.

To answer another frequently asked question regarding the Weima EX5, is the regular version still available after the launch of the Zhihang version? The answer is yes. Weima has adjusted the regular version of the EX5 400 model to six different configurations with special offer prices until June 30th, 2019 when the new subsidy policy comes into effect.