Tesla’s AP function receives upgrades; NIO plans to add at least 50 battery swap stations

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PART 2 Weekly News

*① Tesla’s AP Function Will Be Upgraded*

In North America, Tesla Model 3 and Y will soon be able to identify “traffic signals” and “stop signs,” and can automatically stop at the stop line.

Some key points:

As the vehicle approaches a traffic light or stop line, the information of the intersection will be displayed on the in-car screen in advance. Even if the intersection is on a green light, the vehicle will gradually decelerate and stop at the red line displayed on the screen, and the driver needs to gently step on the accelerator pedal or shift the gear lever in advance to resume cruising.
Similarly, after the vehicle stops at a red light or stop line, the driver needs to gently step on the accelerator pedal or shift the gear lever to resume cruising.* When the traffic light is flashing yellow or green, if the vehicle does not recognize the parking line (when it has been passed), the vehicle will continue to pass through the intersection; if it recognizes the parking line (prior to passing it), the vehicle will automatically come to a stop.
GPS map data does not include all traffic lights and parking signs, and the judgment of traffic lights and parking signs largely depends on the information perceived by the camera, so once a large vehicle or a tree blocks the camera, the vehicle cannot determine the intersection information.

Quick Comment: This update is first applied to Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, with the prerequisite that you have already enabled the FSD function. In addition, from the perspective of algorithms, computing power, and combined with the vehicle model, it should be matched with the HW3.0 chip. In terms of functionality, this update is still quite conservative.

Tesla’s new version software update log shows that this feature is not only based on the visual perception recognition of the front camera, but also combines GPS map data. Considering the current map situation of Tesla in China and China’s current laws and regulations, it is estimated that this feature upgrade will take some time to go online in China.

② NIO will focus on battery swapping

NIO Vice President Shen Fei said at a media communication meeting that NIO’s 100 kWh battery will officially land in Q4 of this year. At the same time, it will launch its exclusive fast charging pile, NIO exclusive pile 2.0. In addition, at least 50 swapping stations will be planned to be added this year.

In addition, Mr. Shen disclosed at the meeting that NIO’s strategy is to focus on battery swapping and use supercharging as a supplement. In the future, swapping stations will be compatible with at least three battery specifications, but efforts will be made to control it to about two specifications.

Quick Comment: A 100 kWh battery is finally coming in the fourth quarter. It remains to be seen how much improvement it will bring to the vehicle. In addition, old car owners can upgrade their batteries by paying the corresponding price difference.

It is worth mentioning that many swapping stations can currently only provide 70 kWh batteries, and the situation will be even more awkward after three battery capacities appear. Therefore, at the meeting, Mr. Shen also said that considering all aspects, he wants to try to keep two battery specifications at swapping stations. The specific plan has not yet been announced, but which of the three specifications (70 kWh, 84 kWh, and 100 kWh) do you think will be phased out?### ③ BYD and Toyota Joint Venture Established

On March 25th, BYD Toyota EV Technology Co., Ltd. was officially registered and established in Pingshan district of Shenzhen. According to the Enterprise Search, the registered capital of the company is RMB 345 million, and Toyota and BYD each hold a 50% stake.

The legal representative of the company is Zhao Binggen, the general manager of the R&D center of BYD Automobile, and the chairman is Takeshi Uchiyamada, the Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Toyota. The business scope of the company includes the design and development of pure electric vehicles and derivative vehicles, as well as the import and export of parts, components, and assemblies for pure electric vehicles and derivative vehicles.

Fast comment: Previously, Lian Yubo, the senior vice president of BYD, stated that he hopes to achieve BYD’s competitiveness in the “pure electric vehicle market” and “R&D capabilities” through this cooperation, while Toyota can complement its shortcomings in the field of electrification and achieve localization in the Chinese market.

④ Polestar Opens Nationwide Pre-Order for Polestar 2

On March 23rd, Polestar officially announced the nationwide pre-order for Polestar 2. According to Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar, the Polestar 2 will meet customers in the first half of this year at the earliest.

It is reported that Polestar 2 started production at the Luqiao factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang last week. In addition, Polestar plans to open 50 to 60 Polestar retail spaces globally by the end of 2020, including 20 in China, 25 in Europe, and 15 in North America.Quick Comment: It has to be said that the Polestar 2 still carries the shadow of Volvo in its exterior design. Compared to Volvo and even the Polestar 1, the biggest change in the Polestar 2 is that it is a pure electric vehicle. It is aimed at competing with Tesla Model 3 and starts at 298,000 RMB. The official pre-launch data shows that it will be equipped with a 72 kWh ternary lithium battery, with an estimated NEDC range of 500 km, and a dual-motor layout, with the acceleration time of the first edition being 4.7 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. So, do you think this Nordic Tesla challenger is worth paying attention to?

⑤ Beijing Stimulates Car Consumption Measures

On March 24th, the website of the Ministry of Commerce announced that Beijing is studying measures to stimulate car consumption, and may release “no less than 100,000 new energy vehicle purchase quotas” in the first half of the year, targeted at families in Beijing without cars. In addition, a license plate similar to the “Shanghai C” license plate may be issued, which can be used in suburban areas outside Beijing. However, the document was deleted later.

The next day, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce issued a clarification: “Regarding yesterday’s news about Beijing’s measures to stimulate car consumption, we have not yet studied and demonstrated it. We deeply apologize for the misunderstanding caused to the public!”

Quick Comment: Previously, after the first round of lottery in 2020 in Beijing, the quota of new energy vehicle license plates may have been used up, and new applicants may have to wait for 9 years. Combined with last week’s news, it at least shows that the Beijing government has already formulated corresponding policies to boost car consumption, but more comprehensive policies need to be officially announced.

At almost the same time, Hangzhou announced that it will add 20,000 small passenger car quotas in 2020, including 15,000 for individual tiered lottery and 5,000 for county-level (city) individual lottery. It can be seen that every province and city is planning strategies to boost economic recovery, and various policies in other cities are also on their way.

⑥ Ideeal ONE to Add Wheel Hub Viewing Angle

On March 23rd, the official website of Ideeal Automobile announced that it will add the “wheel hub viewing angle” function to the Ideeal ONE through OTA. “The function adopts a wide-angle camera on the rearview mirror of the vehicle to collect images and project the situation of the front and rear wheel hubs onto the central control screen for display”.

This way, the driver can observe the surroundings of the front and rear hubs in real time through the center control screen, thus avoiding scratches on the hubs. In addition, this update will also involve optimizations in areas such as advanced driving assistance.

Quick comment: From the official video of Ideal Car, it can be seen that the “hub perspective” of this update should use the cameras on the left and right rearview mirrors to assist imaging. This function can avoid hitting the curb when dealing with side parking and other scenes. For such a medium-sized SUV, this function is still practical.

Previously, the official update list also included the addition of WeChat and other functions on the car terminal in the recent OTA update. Do you think adding these small functions to the car is practical?

Author and editor: Changhao Lewis