Should the “Subject 2” Test be Cancelled?
Author: Lang Erhehe
Open any social media app, search for the keyword “Subject 2” in the search bar, and you will find that this is an enduring hot topic. Regardless of whether you have a driver’s license or not, everyone has definitely heard of the terror of “Subject 2” in the driving test. Especially with the two reverse parking tasks, you not only cannot stop the car, hit the boundary lines, or take too much time, but you also must succeed in one attempt, the difficulty of which is simply outrageous.
Even for someone like me who passed the test on the first try, the fear of being dominated by instructors and exams is still vivid in my mind, not to mention the immense psychological pressure on those who fail four or five times around me. I believe there are many people like me who have thought more than once that it would be great if “Subject 2” were cancelled, or even if they cancelled the two reverse parking tasks.
Recently, a big shot at WM Motor posted on Weibo asking, “Should ‘Subject 2’ be cancelled?” The reason for WM Motor’s confidence is that the W6 model already has the ability to challenge “Subject 2”. With a spirit of exploration, let’s see if WM Motor is blowing smoke or if they have the skills to impress us.
The event hosted by WM Motor mainly focuses on the problem of difficult parking in daily life, and it will challenge both perpendicular parking and parallel parking. Moreover, in the perpendicular parking test, they have artificially increased the difficulty, such as both sides being narrow and difficult to park with poles; the other is when the car on the left has parked very poorly and crossed the boundary line, while the right side has poles. In fact, experienced drivers know that these two situations are the most annoying when parking regularly. So, how did the W6 perform?
The W6 from WM Motor can easily handle both situations without exaggeration or understatement. However, what really sets WM apart is that it can park itself entirely without any assistance from the driver! This means that the driver can exit the vehicle and leave it to be parked completely by the car while they use their phone or do something else. This feature is so unique that it is no longer referred to as automatic parking but instead is called the unmanned autonomous parking system.
One of the best things about this system is how convenient it is. Not only does it save time and effort, but it also helps prevent situations where a driver is unable to exit their vehicle after parking. We have all encountered situations where we manage to park our car in a spot, but it is too tight to open the door and exit. With this system, there is no need to worry about this anymore – simply exit the car beforehand, and the car will take care of the rest.
Another great reason to choose WM is that they offer a guarantee that any issues that arise while using the unmanned parking system will be their responsibility to handle. To our knowledge, no other car manufacturer has ever made this claim, which shows the confidence that WM has in their technology.
Furthermore, during our testing, WM demonstrated the versatility and adaptability of the W6 by allowing us to try to park while navigating around obstacles. We used barrels to simulate the obstructions that one might encounter on a daily basis, and the car was able to avoid them all and park smoothly in its designated spot.
It becomes apparent that WM is determined to continue to improve upon its technology and provide drivers with the best experience possible. The W6 truly stands out in the crowded market of vehicles with automatic parking systems.Apart from autonomous parking, the W6 by WmAuto also has the ability to learn. For instance, if the car owner has a fixed parking spot, they can park their W6 once and activate its path learning function, and it will remember the route. From then on, every time the car is driven within 200 meters of the parking spot, the owner can get off and the W6 will park itself with just one button press on their mobile phone. This feature truly sets WmAuto apart as a pioneer in the industry.
To achieve autonomous parking, the W6 relies on its hardware and software systems. The W6 is equipped with 5 mm-wave radars, 6 HD cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and high-precision maps and cloud-based memories. In fact, these features mean that the W6 is capable of automatically parking across floors in indoor parking lots, with just one OTA update. Additionally, the W6 uses Qualcomm’s latest 8155 chip, which has 8 cores and impressive computational speed and capabilities.
As for software, the W6 uses the Baidu Apollo system. It is well-known that Baidu has been developing autonomous driving technologies and already has a wealth of databases and information. By partnering with Baidu, WmAuto is able to achieve a mutually beneficial cooperation.
Experience the whole day of WmAuto W6’s autonomous parking, and can’t help but exclaim that technology will ultimately change our living habits and cognition. Perhaps it is still too early to talk about unmanned driving replacing the second section of the exam, after all, under the existing examination system, WmAuto W6 cannot pass. But this does not affect our new ideas for future car travel. More concretely, WmAuto W6 can at least help us solve the problem of difficult parking. Consumers do not not need automatic parking, but they do not need an automatic parking that is not user-friendly, especially at the end of the year, when WmAuto may open up high-precision map linkage to achieve autonomous parking and parking on different floors in the parking lot, achieving the last kilometer of parking freedom. This may be the embryo of future intelligent cars.
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.