Baidu and Geely-Backed EV Firm JIDU Launches Limited Edition of Robocar for $55K

JIDU, an intelligent electric vehicle company backed by Chinese tech giant Baidu and automotive leader Geely, officially released its first-ever robocar, ROBO-01 Lunar Edition at RoboBase, its Shanghai headquarters, on October 27. Priced at 399,800 yuan ($55,253), the vehicle is a co-branded model in cooperation with the China’s Lunar Exploration Project.

ROBO-01 Lunar Edition reproduced the futuristic design showed by the concept car that debuted in June this year. Released alongside with the futuristic look is JIDU’s advanced intelligent driving system includes Point-to-Point Autopilot (PPA), a high-level intelligent driving solution designed to handle highways, city streets and parking situations. By time of delivery, ROBO-01’s PPA capability will be expanded to cover the most versatile range of use scenarios of any model in China. 

The ROBO-01 Lunar Edition is equipped with 31 smart drive sensors (including 2 LIDAR, 5-millimeter wave radar, 12 ultrasonic radars, 12 HD cameras) which provide 360-degree sensing. It claims to be the first vehicle in the industry to achieve full volume localization of voice AI algorithms, with full end-side voice recognition speed as fast as 500ms and end-to-end voice response speed within 700ms, completely free from dependence on network signals. In addition, the car protects user privacy and data security as the company proclaims that the data never leaves the vehicle itself.

The vehicle’s body dimensions are 4853mm/1990mm/1611mm in length, width and height, respectively. It has a wheelbase of up to 3000mm, with a wind resistance coefficient of 0.249. It is equipped with a CATL 100kWh ternary lithium battery, possessing a 600+ km range. With dual motors peaking at a total power of 400kW, and can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in only 3.9 seconds, offering a robust powertrain. 

The ROBO-01 Lunar Edition will be the first vehicle to be equipped with Qualcomm’s fourth-generation Snapdragon digital console platform, the 8295 chip. As for the interior, it is equipped with a 35.6-inch 6K ultra-clear big screen as the AI interactive entrance of the vehicle, which provides a top-of-the-line immersive 3D visual HMI and entertainment experience.

As the first intelligent car brand in the industry to implement Apollo’s full set of advanced autonomous driving capabilities and safety systems, JIDU has integrated, developed and tested Apollo’s capabilities to meet users’ needs for advanced intelligent driving in a wide range of applications. The vehicle has accumulated over 36 million kilometers of autonomous driving test miles, including real road tests by robotaxis in more than 30 cities across China.

Currently, JIDU is conducting a general evaluation of high-level intelligent driving in Beijing and Shanghai, drawing on its industry-leading, high-efficiency R&D with the aim of ensuring that the final version of its PPA will expand to cover all major cities in China.

Prior to the launch event, JIDU opened pre-sales for 1,000 “Chief Experience Officer” positions for the ROBO-01 Lunar Edition, all of which have now been taken. At the event, Joe Xia, CEO of JIDU, announced the opening of an additional 1,000 positions. At the event, Cixin Liu, the author of the popular science fiction novel, The Three-Body Problem, released the “Manifesto on Autonomous Driving” together with JIDU, and obtained the No. 004 ROBO-01 Lunar Edition.

SEE ALSO: JIDU Plans to Enter 46 Cities in China by End of 2023

It’s worth noting that all Chief Experience Officers will receive exclusive entitlements including lifetime high-level intelligent driving, lifetime warranty, a lifetime of free charging, and customized digital collectibles. The Chief Experience Officers will also have the opportunity to observe the launch of China’s national-level mission rockets.

Aside from the Lunar Edition, ROBO-01’s standard edition will also be released soon with the delivery of the two editions beginning in 2023. In the meantime, the exterior design of JIDU’s second robocar is scheduled to make its debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November of this year.

ROBO-01 Lunar Edition: