Currently, what is the overall market outlook for intelligent driving? DJI started with drones and has entered the market for intelligent driving vehicles. What are its technical advantages and what disadvantages does it face? Apart from DJI's vehicle-based offerings, the domestic intelligent driving technology landscape also includes Huawei's recent spin-off of an independent Intelligent Automotive Business Unit. Additionally, there are companies such as Pony.ai, Waymo, and Baidu Apollo.L4Players are also working on solutions for autonomous driving penetration. What are their respective characteristics and competitiveness? Where is DJI's opportunity?
Frost & SullivanFrost & SullivanWang Yicheng, Consulting Manager of Frost & Sullivan Greater China Region, was interviewed Time Weekly Interview, jointly discussing the current market situation of intelligent driving vehicles.
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Time Weekly
Q
What is the overall market outlook for intelligent driving at present?
Intelligent driving is widely regarded as one of the important development directions for the automotive industry in the future. Overall, the market prospects for intelligent driving are still very promising.
Firstly, from a technical perspective, the technical levels of various manufacturers are still in a stage of rapid improvement. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology,2022year,L2The penetration rate of new first-tier passenger vehicles has reached34.5%fromGithubThe change in the number of new R&D projects in the technology community also reflects progress in autonomous driving technology.L3/L4The proportion of new R&D projects for Level 4 autonomous driving has decreased from2016year18.2%increased to2022year55.6%,L1/L2The proportion of each level accordingly81.8%descend to44.4%But at a higher level of driving automationL4/L5The phase still requires a long process of technological maturation and has a long way to go.
At the policy level, governments in many countries and regions have recognized the potential of intelligent driving and have taken a series of policy measures to support its development. For example, this year11The 'Notice on Carrying Out Pilot Work for the Access and Road Use of Intelligent Connected Vehicles', recently released by four departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, mainly targets vehicles equipped with national standards3levelL3levels) and4levelL4The pilot work on the access of intelligent connected vehicle products with Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities has been carried out. This signifies a crucial step forward in the development of China's intelligent connected vehicle industry and also implies that there is greater room for exploration in policy and legislative practices related to intelligent driving.
Additionally, on the demand side, the sales of new energy vehicles in China have driven the development and application of intelligent driving technology. As is well known, electrification and intelligence are two major trends in the development of the automotive industry, and these two trends are closely intertwined. Under these trends, new energy vehicle companies, especially domestic and international new car makers, are using autonomous driving as a selling point to form differentiated advantages. They have stronger motivation to develop intelligent driving and a greater willingness for users to adopt it, making them important drivers of the development of intelligent driving.
Moreover, the huge potential of intelligent driving in the market has attracted a large amount of investment. In China, financing in the field of autonomous driving has been2015It started to grow rapidly at the beginning of2015Year-end2021Financing events during the year402Amount of financing939.91yuan, of which2021Annual financing events111Amount of financing497.8Yuan. The substantial investment in capital has catalyzed the rapid development of intelligent driving technology and an increased market acceptance. More and more vehicle models are equipped with intelligent driving functions, which has also promoted the rapid development of a number of automakers that attach importance to intelligent driving.
In summary, the overall market prospects for intelligent driving are very optimistic, and it is expected that growth will continue in the coming years. However, the maturity and widespread application of intelligent driving technology still require overcoming some technical, legal, and social challenges.
Q
DJI started with drones and has entered the intelligent driving in-vehicle market. What are its technical advantages and what disadvantages does it face?
As a leading manufacturer in the field of drones, DJI actually has many drone technologies that can be applied to current in-vehicle intelligent driving, forming a unique technical advantage.
First is sensor technology. As early as2020year1month7day,CES 2020(Digital World Expo) At the exhibition, DJI's internally incubated subsidiaryLivoxTwo lidar products specifically designed for autonomous vehicles were also released.HorizonandTele-15In the field of drones, technologies such as cameras, lidar, and ultrasonic sensors can be applied to intelligent driving in-vehicle systems, providing accurate environmental perception and obstacle detection capabilities.
Secondly, DJI has strong technical capabilities in image processing and computing power. The drone industry has a high demand for real-time image processing and efficient computing capabilities, especially DJI's inertial navigation binocular vision.bvConstruction, local map technology, integrated with BIMbvPerception technology, deep campus-wide estimation technology,4DScene Streaming Technology and4DTechnologies such as fully visual self-labeling can be applied to intelligent driving in-vehicle systems, providing fast and accurate decision-making and control capabilities.
Additionally, DJI has profound research and development experience in algorithms and artificial intelligence. The return-to-home and automatic obstacle avoidance functions of aircraft require advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies. These technologies can be applied to the path planning layer of in-vehicle intelligent driving, as well as precise altitude control and fixed-point hovering for drones, which can be perfectly replicated into the vehicle's powertrain and steering control of intelligent driving systems.
The disadvantages and challenges faced by DJI mainly come from three aspects: security, industry experience, and fierce competition.
DJI's technical advantages in the field of drones are mainly reflected in its low cost and excellent experience achieved through high cost-effectiveness. Compared to vehicles, drones have relatively lower computing power and are less capable of supporting more advanced intelligent driving. The more complex road conditions in airspace pose higher safety requirements for DJI's technology.
Entering the intelligent driving in-vehicle market is DJI's attempt at new fields. However, currently DJI is still in its rookie stage and does not have much accumulated market resources. Facing market tests, there are still significant challenges ahead.
Some vehicle manufacturers have stated that DJI's investment in autonomous driving is an attempt into a new field, but it is currently still in its infancy, lacking substantial market resources. Facing the test of the market, there are significant challenges ahead.
Moreover, the intelligent driving vehicle market already has many competitors, including traditional automakers and technology companies. These competitors also possess strong capabilities and resources in intelligent driving technology. Therefore, DJI needs to invest a significant amount of capital and resources to gain a firm foothold in market competition.
In summary, whether DJI can find its own position and play an important role in the field of intelligent driving with its technical strength and innovation capabilities still requires time to be tested.
Q
Currently, in addition to DJI Auto, the domestic intelligent driving technology camp also includes Huawei's recently spun-off intelligent vehicle business unit. Additionally, there are companies such as Pony.ai, Waymo ATOM, and Baidu Apollo.L4Players are also working on solutions for autonomous driving penetration. What are their respective characteristics and competitiveness? Where is the opportunity for DJI?
As a globally renowned communication technology company, Huawei possesses strong network and communication technology capabilities. Huawei in5GHuawei has rich experience in communication, Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, and other areas, which can provide high-speed and reliable data transmission and processing capabilities for intelligent driving vehicle systems. In addition, Huawei also has a wide network of partners and market channels in the passenger car market, such as SAIC Li Auto, BAIC Cybertruck, Changan AVAT, etc., which provides opportunities for the development of its intelligent driving business.
Xiaomao ZhiXing is a leading autonomous driving technology company in China, focusing onL4Level 4 autonomous driving solutions, with a focus onRobotaxiConcept. Pony.ai has strong technical capabilities in perception, decision-making, and control, and its independently developed autonomous driving platform can be applied in fields such as travel, logistics, and public transportation. Pony.ai has carried out a series of commercial deployments in the Chinese market and established strategic partnerships with multiple partners, including automakers such as Toyota, Geely, and GAC, as well as operators such as Meituan, Ruyiqi Mobility, CaoCao Mobility, and Jinjiang Taxi.
Wenyuan Zhixing is an innovative company focusing on autonomous driving solutions. Its corporate philosophy is similar to Pony.ai's, covering smart mobility, smart freight, and smart sanitation. Its core technologies include perception, decision-making, and control. Wenyuan Zhixing owns independent intellectual property and core algorithms in areas such as high-precision maps, assisted driving, and autonomous driving. It has cooperated with multiple automakers and urban operators, including the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Yutong Group, GAC Group, Bosch, etc. Wenyuan Zhixing's strengths in the field of intelligent driving include technological innovation and its ability to collaborate with the industry.
Qingzhou Intelligent Navigation is an autonomous driving solution provider under Baidu, with its own independently developedApolloThe platform is one of the largest open-source autonomous driving platforms in China. Qingzhou Intelligent Navigation has strong technical capabilities in perception, decision-making, and control, and has already cooperated with several automakers and partners, with mass production deployment imminent. Baidu, with its rich experience in artificial intelligence and big data, provides support for Qingzhou Intelligent Navigation's development in the field of intelligent driving.
The opportunities for DJI's in-vehicle solutions in the intelligent driving market mainly lie in its advantages in sensor technology and image processing, as well as its accumulated technical strength and global market channels in the field of drones. At the same time, DJI can further expand its influence in the intelligent driving domain by leveraging its brand recognition and reputation in the drone industry. Additionally, DJI can collaborate with other intelligent driving technology camps to jointly promote technology towards more powerful computing power and higher levels of automation.L3/L4Rank progression.
* This interview was published in "The Time Weekly Reporter: Guo Meiting, original title: DJI's in-vehicle acceleration "Get in the car" campaign: More than 10 million views this year20The car will be equipped with... BYD and FAW have thrown out an olive branch?
