BYD in talks with UAE authorities on driverless cars and research centre

China's BYD is in talks with UAE authorities for driverless cars and to explore building a research and development centre in the Emirates, a senior executive has said.

The Shenzhen-based company, which overtook Elon Musk's Tesla Motors as the world's biggest electric vehicle maker late in 2023, has a “solid plan” that would help support the UAE's smart mobility ambitions, executive vice president Stella Li told The National.

Putting autonomous BYD vehicles on UAE roads is “one of the plans” and “we will build an R&D centre here, then we can work with the local authorities and deliver”, she said in Dubai.

She did not provide further details, but an announcement is expected in January.

Discussions are still in the early stages, but “we are in the process” of accelerating co-operation, Ms Li said.

BYD's fleet – which includes the Denza and premium Yangwang brands – is powered by its in-house DiPilot and God's Eye driver assistance systems with artificial intelligence, advanced cameras and Lidar, or light detection and ranging. They have Level 4 autonomous parking capabilities.

We take a ride in a driverless robotaxi in Abu Dhabi 01:17

There are six levels of autonomy, from zero to 5, in which vehicles do not require human intervention under most circumstances. Level 5 requires no human attention and vehicles with that status may not even have steering wheels or pedals.

Ms Li said that the industry is nearing Level 5 – but regulation should take precedence as car makers need to make passenger safety a top priority.

That, in turn, would pave the way for greater adoption and help bring autonomous-vehicle costs down, she said.

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