While many are still skeptical about the plausibility of 100% autonomous vehicles, Geely Auto is showing that its new AI digital chassis can not only safely operate on snow and ice without a driver but can also pull off fully autonomous drifting. See the EV in action in the video below.
Geely Auto operates as the primary marque auto brand under the larger umbrella of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. Aside from its own branded EVs, the Chinese automaker owns stakes in plenty of other notable brands we often cover on Electrek, including ZEEKR, Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar.
With a knack for advanced automotive technology and nearly forty years of experience in scaled manufacturing, Geely is a notable name in the global EV landscape, pushing the boundaries of what mobility means.
That said, Geely has tended to keep its cards close to its chest in recent years and is not usually one to flex its technology too much publicly. Today is an exception as the auto conglomerate is showcasing its new AI digital chassis, which will soon deliver a “safe mobility experience that exceeds expectations for mainstream users” in upcoming models from sub-brands like Lynk & Co and Galaxy.
To demonstrate some of the capabilities of the new chassis, Geely took to icy roads to perform autonomous drifting, a “world’s first,” according to the automaker.
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Source: Geely Auto / Weibo -
Autonomous drifting is now a thing… wow
Geely touted the new AI digital chassis on its Weibo page earlier today, which included a video of a sedan performing autonomous drifting in the snow, which you can view here. It’s already eerie enough to see a robotaxis cruise around without a driver. Still, it is even crazier to see an EV perform maneuvers Geely describes as “comparable to that of a professional race car driver.”
Per CnEVPost, Geely explained that there is a lot of advanced technology at play in the new chassis to perform such aggressive driving techniques, including a perception large model algorithm integrated with software and hardware capabilities that culminate into a holistic system that can sense and predict the state of the vehicle in real-time, comparable to a professional driver.
Furthermore, the vehicle’s steer-by-wire system operates in millisecond-level adjustments that deliver precise control of drift direction. If only this technology existed when Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift came out, oh man.
By combining its AI large model, digital chassis, and intelligent driving technology, Geely can deliver a new breed of EV that can not only pull off autonomous drifting but also provide passengers with a higher level of safety and driver assistance… even if they inevitably decide they’d rather not have their car fishtail around any a clipping points.
More consumer-friendly features include more powerful active avoidance and active braking and the ability to perform less dangerous movements to show off to your friends, like crab walking and tank turns. On the other hand, Geely’s new AI digital chassis can also stabilize the EV in the event of traffic backups and drift to avoid obstacles on the road, especially in extreme conditions.
Inside the vehicle, Geely’s Xingrui AI large model can draw pictures and hold voice conversations with its passengers, meaning your EV can probably tell a decent knock-knock joke while it is autonomously drifting around an apex… or while you’re parked and charging. Whatever floats your boat.
By successfully creating vehicles that can perform driverless drifts, Geely has donned itself as the “global leader in smart safety and AI digital chassis.” What do you think?