news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Source: Cover News

Cover News reporter Meng Mei Yili

Recently, "LuoBo KuaiPao" is still very popular. This driverless taxi developed and launched by Baidu has caused widespread controversy in Wuhan, where it has been deployed the most. The voices that driverless taxis have made taxis and online ride-hailing cars feel threatened and have caused concerns in social livelihood have not completely subsided; recently, it was revealed that the price of "LuoBo KuaiPao" has increased.

According to the orders posted by Wuhan netizens, the current price of Luobo Kuaipao is 1.6 yuan per kilometer. After removing all discounts and subsidies, the price per kilometer has reached 4.6 yuan, which has caught up with or even exceeded the price of online car-hailing. At the same time, many netizens also said on social media that the price of Luobo Kuaipao has increased compared to before. Although they could fully expect this, they did not expect the price increase to come so quickly.

In recent years, my country has been making breakthroughs in the technology and practice of driverless cars. Faced with this new thing, people's attitudes are always diverse and complex. However, the speed at which driverless taxis have quietly hit the road and have already started carrying passengers seems to have exceeded people's expectations. The "future tense" has appeared in people's lives, which inevitably makes people worry.

Autonomous driving is booming in my country

At present, science and technology are developing rapidly, among which driverless technology, as the epitome of artificial intelligence and new energy revolution, is booming in my country at an unprecedented speed. The rapid rise of this technology not only marks a major breakthrough in my country's emerging science and technology field, but also heralds a profound change in future transportation modes.

From the popularity of new energy vehicles to the leap of AI algorithms, all have paved the way for driverless cars. Especially in China, local governments have responded positively and issued a number of policies to open up green channels for driverless testing and commercial use. The trials in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have not only demonstrated the potential of driverless cars, but also stimulated the enthusiasm of the market.

The commercialization of driverless cars is accelerating, L2 autonomous driving cars have been widely popularized, and higher-level autonomous driving technologies are also being developed at an accelerated pace. Application scenarios such as smart public transportation, unmanned sanitation, and self-driving taxis are constantly expanding, allowing the public to experience the convenience and safety of driverless cars firsthand.

According to Tianyancha Professional Edition data, as of now, there are more than 5,595 companies related to autonomous driving, of which more than 259 new companies were registered from January to June 2024. In terms of geographical distribution, Guangdong, Hebei and Jiangsu are at the forefront of autonomous driving-related companies, with more than 1,360, more than 791 and more than 383 companies respectively, accounting for 24.1%, 14.02% and 6.79% of the national total respectively.

In terms of establishment time, 42.47% of the relevant companies were established within 1-5 years, and 38.78% of the relevant companies were established within 5-10 years.

New technology replaces old technology and manual labor

It is undoubtedly an inevitable event

Although people are paying close attention to the social and livelihood issues brought about by "Robot Express", such as the fact that driverless taxis will eat into the market of traditional taxis and online ride-hailing vehicles, and even cause a large number of unemployment, the real situation is that there are not thousands of "Robot Express" vehicles as rumored online. In fact, Baidu has deployed more than 400 vehicles in Wuhan. Now and for a long time in the future, it will serve as an option in the travel market and a supplement to human services.

If we look back at the entire history of human and technological development, it is undeniable that the phenomenon of technology replacing labor is not uncommon. From plowing replacing manual farming in agricultural society to machine production replacing manual labor in the Industrial Revolution, every technological innovation has greatly promoted the improvement of social productivity while also bringing about profound changes in the employment structure.

Relying on advanced sensors, algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies, driverless cars can achieve autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, decision-making and other functions, greatly improving the efficiency and safety of traffic. Compared with traditional driving, driverless driving does not require human intervention, reduces the risk of human error and fatigue driving, and provides a strong guarantee for travel safety.

Tianyancha intellectual property information shows that as of now, a total of 14,710 patent information has been generated in the field of unmanned driving nationwide, among which invention publication patent applications account for the largest number, accounting for 42%, followed by utility model patents, invention authorization patents and design patents, accounting for 27%, 24% and 7% respectively. It can be seen that technical patents have become an important type of patent in the field of unmanned driving.

As technology continues to mature and costs decrease, driverless cars will gradually replace traditional cars and become the mainstream mode of travel in the future. However, it will take more time and market tests to truly achieve this goal. Moreover, the general trend of technology replacing traditional manual labor is also a historical inevitability.

In addition, to some extent, although driverless cars will eliminate some traditional driving positions, they will also give rise to new occupational fields, such as driverless technology research and development, testing, and maintenance. These new occupations will require higher levels of professional skills and knowledge, providing new development opportunities for workers.

The new market is favored by capital

There is a lot of potential in the field of transportation in the future

It is worth mentioning that the emerging market of driverless cars has not only attracted the competition of global technology giants, but has also become a hot spot for the capital market.

Recently, many autonomous driving companies have announced that they have received huge amounts of financing, such as Wayve's $1.05 billion Series C financing, and China's Mainline Technology has also announced that it has received hundreds of millions of yuan in investment. These investment and financing activities fully demonstrate the capital market's confidence and optimism in driverless technology. The influx of funds has provided solid support for the research and development, testing and commercialization of driverless technology.

According to the financing information of Tianyancha Professional Edition, there have been 147 financing events in the field of autonomous driving in China so far. In terms of the rounds of financing events, round A financing and angel round financing accounted for the highest proportion, accounting for 46% and 33% respectively; round B and round C financing accounted for 14% and 7% respectively.

It can be seen that although the field of autonomous driving has not been developed in China for a long time, the trend of attracting capital attention and inclination is already obvious.

In fact, as technology continues to mature and costs gradually decrease, driverless cars are expected to achieve large-scale commercial applications in the next few years. This trend will completely change the landscape of the transportation industry and promote the comprehensive upgrading and development of related industrial chains.

It is reasonable to predict that the capital market will continue to pay attention to and invest in this field, helping the rapid development and popularization of driverless technology. We have reason to believe that in the near future, driverless cars will become an indispensable part of our daily lives, bringing revolutionary changes to the way humans travel.

So far, driverless technology has achieved remarkable results. Many cities have opened autonomous driving demonstration roads, with test mileage exceeding 100 million kilometers. The technology continues to mature, and some cities have promoted commercial applications. Through Tianyancha Professional Edition, we can see and understand data from all aspects of the driverless field, so as to analyze the development trend and future direction of the industry. In addition, Tianyancha also has content in dimensions such as Tianyan risks, property clues, business resumes, litigation relationships, and judicial cases, to help the outside world have a more comprehensive understanding of a company or even an industry.

Tianyancha Research Institute believes that in the future, with the deep integration of artificial intelligence, sensor technology and cloud computing, driverless cars will play a greater role in the field of transportation, improve traffic efficiency, reduce accident rates, and bring the public a safer, more convenient and efficient travel experience. At the same time, the development of driverless technology will also promote the upgrading and development of related industrial chains, creating more employment opportunities and economic growth points.