When Guangzhou Automobile Group started to layout new energy, there were voices saying “This is useless. Without breakthroughs in battery technology, electric cars will be XX.”
When Guangzhou Automobile Group started to build a pure electric platform, there were voices saying “This is useless. A pure electric platform is just a gimmick.”
These two voices are rare today. Time is needed for technology to go from preparation to implementation to effectiveness. People in the “key sound house” often cannot see these things.
(Image of AION V)
And in the Guangzhou EAION AION V launched in June of this year, they have laid a new foundation – 5G + V2X.
“This is useful”
In areas with 5G signal coverage, downloading at a speed of several hundred megabytes per second is no longer a rare thing; fast is synonymous with 5G. In the mobile electronics industry, 5G has become standard on most new phones.
As intelligent interconnection becomes increasingly important in the automotive industry, faster network communication has become one of the goals that everyone is pursuing. 5G is also getting involved, and AION V is one of the earliest representatives.
AION V is equipped with the world’s first 5G V2X vehicle intelligent communication system independently developed by Guangzhou EAION. The core hardware part of 5G is the Huawei Balong 5000 5G communication chip, which is the industry’s first car-grade 5G chip certified by an authoritative institution.
Compared with 3G, 4G is faster, and similarly, 5G is faster than 4G, which means more things can be done when it is faster. This is particularly evident in the comparison of the refresh efficiency of CAN and Ethernet. With 5G support, the efficiency of TBOX and AVN increased by 104 and 196 times, respectively.
Higher refresh efficiency usually means lower latency, and in the process of interconnection with other terminals, a more powerful 5G network also brings greater access capacity, which is officially referred to as “Guanglian”.
For intelligent driving, low latency and Guanglian means more accurate and multi-dimensional perception.
In addition, 5G’s support for OTA upgrades can also make AION V faster than the others.
High-precision positioning supported by BeidouIn mid-June, the last global networking satellite of China’s Beidou system was delivered to the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. On June 23, the Long March 3B Y31 rocket successfully launched carrying the satellite, marking the completion of the construction of China’s independently developed global satellite navigation system with over 20 years of effort. The Beidou system will officially start global networking, providing satellite navigation, positioning, and timing services to any place on earth.
AION V is the first mass-produced “enjoyer” of this system.
With the Beidou system’s centimeter-level positioning, millimeter-level perception, and nanosecond-level timing capabilities, AION V has an “God’s-eye view” outside of its own vehicle.
Applications and Effects
In the combination of 5G + V2X, high-precision positioning not only undertakes the tasks related to assisted driving, but also gives precise spatiotemporal tags to all participating terminals in the entire networked interactive system.
The V2X module mounted on AION V uses the RTK (Real-time kinematic) carrier phase difference technology of Qianxun Location, and the highest positioning accuracy in open areas can reach 20 cm, which is sufficient for lane-level positioning.
Based on this powerful additional perception information, vehicles can make better driving decisions and also provide additional safety redundancy.
For example, in cases where the vehicle’s perception positioning is poor, such as irregular lane lines, temporarily covered lane lines, no obvious road signs, and excessively curved roads, if there is additional high-precision positioning, AION V can automatically make driving decisions based on accurate satellite positioning and high-precision map data.
Another key feature of V2X—over-the-horizon perception—can also help AION V get information beyond its field of view in areas covered by V2X interconnected terminals, serving as a “mini map” of vehicle perception in cases of interference to line of sight.
Assisted Driving Experience: The Effect of High-Precision Maps is Obvious, and Further Coverage is Expected
The time spent experiencing AION V was actually not long, driving a car equipped with GAC ADiGO 3.0 assisted driving system.
Basic Capability Experience: Slightly notable, meets expectations
In areas without high-precision maps, the performance of this car did not make me feel anything special. The basic lane keeping and ACC functions worked without any problems on most clear road lines. Additionally, the vehicle can also turn on the blinker for lane changing when the speed is higher than 60 km/h.The overall performance of this part is basically in line with my expectations, however, there are two personal experiences that I think are good.
Firstly, the resistance torque of the steering wheel after it enters the lane is relatively high. Although opinions may vary regarding the issue of steering wheel resistance torque, personally I feel that greater resistance torque provides the driver with a stronger sense of confirmation, and this sense of confirmation does indeed to a certain extent make me trust the vehicle’s ability to maintain the turns.
Secondly, the AION V’s ability to detect when the preceding vehicle crosses lanes or strays from the lane boundaries. During my experience on this stretch of road, the AION V can detect and decelerate in a timely manner when the preceding 1/3 or 1/2 of the vehicle crosses the lane markers.
However, as for the interaction of the assisted driving system, I personally think that there is room for improvement. When the assisted driving system is affected and exits, only the information is displayed on the screen, and there are no other means such as alert sounds or vibrations to remind the driver. I feel that the level of prompting is not strong enough.
In general, on roads without high-precision map coverage, the performance of AION V’s assisted driving system can be described as mediocre and is basically in line with my expectations of it.
However, on highways with high-precision map coverage, the AION V’s assisted driving experience is completely different.
High precision map experience: A real surprise
According to the official introduction, AION V has the “only L3 level automatic driving function on the entire road at full speed in China, powered by a high-precision map of the same level for the local market.”
To be honest, everyone knows the ability of high-precision maps to enhance assisted driving on PPTs, and promotions are always exaggerated. However, there aren’t many things that companies can deliver from their PPTs, and the final results are also uneven.
I have also driven the Model 3 with FSD many times. After experiencing Tesla, I have always felt that the assisted driving of other manufacturers is just “so-so.” Therefore, there are not many products that can make me feel pleasantly surprised.
This time, AION V’s high-precision map performance on the high-speed road is one of these few cases.It’s evident that AION V performs significantly better in maintaining the lane on this stretch of road, with the centering performance reflected in a more stable steering wheel. There were almost no “snake tail” impressions after driving more than 100 kilometers. In addition, there is a feel of “premonition” in the vehicle’s steering response when entering bends, with the turning movement of the steering wheel almost synchronized. On the contrary, many models tend to have a slight “overturning” effect.
Furthermore, under normal circumstances, AION V can achieve complete hands-free driving on high-precision map sections. It is worth mentioning that there is a driver attention monitoring system on AION V, which has a very high recognition accuracy. It immediately provides an alert when the driver’s gaze leaves the road surface. The system also monitors whether the driver is driving while fatigued, preventing many potential safety hazards caused by improper driving behavior.
The most surprising feature is the “God’s Eye View” which brings in long-range perception.
During the test drive, AION V will automatically slow down before entering the large curved bend, as it already knows that the segment ahead is a bend through high-precision Beidou positioning and mapping. During this process, AION V controls the deceleration amplitude and distance quite gently and linearly, with almost no discomfort caused by acceleration or deceleration when sitting in the driver’s seat. This experience is really great.
This performance that we experienced in reality really surprised me, especially considering the fact that this is a car model of only 200,000 yuan.
Besides the surprising features, I also have some thoughts on the driving assistance experience of AION V.
As mentioned in the experience, the most impressive feature of AION V for me is the high-speed road segment with high-precision map coverage.
Currently, we know that AION V uses Baidu’s high-precision map. When we test drove it in late October, there were 55 cities nationwide with relevant data, and this number is still increasing.
Back to the discussion of the car itself
After discussing the driving assistance part, I would like to talk about the practicality of AION V as a pure electric vehicle.
Thanks to the early layout of the GEP 2.0 all-aluminum pure electric exclusive platform, AION V has a very high space utilization rate. Although AION V is only 4.6 meters long, its wheelbase is 2830 mm, resulting in ample interior space under a seemingly small body size.
And due to its pure electric platform, the height of the rear seats of AION V is not that “small bench”. The combination of these two factors makes the riding experience in the AION V a little less “compact”.
As for the most important aspect of pure electric vehicles, the range of AION V is at least 500 km, with 6 configurations reaching 600 km. Furthermore, AION V has brought the 600 km range into the price range under 200,000 yuan for the first time.
In addition to the conventional battery temperature control system, AION V also offers an optional heat pump air conditioning. For users living in relatively low temperature areas, this is a very practical feature.
Furthermore, do not think that the AION V is cheaply made just because the price is not high. Both in design and craftsmanship, the details of the AION V are comparable to those of its competitors in the same price range.
Taken together, these practical features make AION V a popular family car. For those who live in cities with license plate restrictions and want to buy a comfortable new energy commute vehicle, these features really hit the spot.
Living in Shanghai, Just Limited License
One month ago, Shanghai issued a new license plate restriction policy, extending the restriction time for non-local license plates from 7 am to 8 pm every day. What’s worse, from the first working day after the May Day holiday next year, non-local license plates will no longer be allowed to enter the inner loop of the city.
New energy cars without restricted license plates have become a popular category. The Tesla store was crowded in October. Tesla is certainly good, but with a starting price of 250,000 yuan and a range of only 468 km under NEDC, it is not suitable for everyone.
Driving the AION V is not as sporty or exciting as the Model 3, but it is indeed more comfortable, quieter, and has more space. Moreover, it is more affordable in terms of both range and price. Also, the intelligent experience of the AION V is commendable even at this price.
Apart from the experience of the auxiliary driving in this AION V test drive, there is also an interesting AR navigation system. This system can display guide patterns directly on the road by combining the image of the front camera, which is more intuitive than looking at maps.
In a city like Shanghai, where “you never know which lane to turn left at the next intersection,” AION V has indeed helped me a lot.
In addition to the commonly seen automatic parking function, AION V also adds a one-key remote parking function for mobile phones. You can get out of the car and operate in areas where it is difficult to open the door. Although its ultimate parking space has not yet been tested, the idea is very practical and technological.
By the way, with the support of iFLYTEK hardware and algorithms, the vehicle is equipped with a partition induction system and a bilingual voice control system, which makes it easy for you to search and play English songs. However, due to the limited experience time and the length of this article, we won’t be able to fully explore all the similar highlights.
Conclusion
When I first experienced the AION S, I was deeply impressed by its rear-seat performance, which far exceeded, even “beating” its peers. Nowadays, the AION main series has already produced three mass-produced vehicles. AION V has derived more technological configurations from the practical and comfortable highlights of its predecessor, the AION S.
Finally, returning to the topic at the beginning, looking at 5G + V2X from today’s perspective, it may seem as “useless” as we thought about new energy vehicles and pure electric platforms three years ago. However, I believe that in three years, as these “pre-emptive” technologies gradually spread out, AION V owners will silently sigh “so cool” when they feel the good experiences brought by these technologies on more and more roads.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.