Baidu unveils the production version of its Jidu Robo-01 electric SUV. It sits between the Tesla Model Y and Model X and comes with plenty of features, including semi-autonomous driving.
If you don’t know Baidu, it’s completely normal. And yet this company specialized in search engines and artificial intelligence begins to make itself known to the general public. Last September, the company had indeed lifted the veil on its first self-driving taxi, then for Tesla. And here it presents today a new vehicle, this time intended for private individuals.
Technological cocoon
Unveiled as a concept last June, the new Jidu Robo-01 is the first car of the young Chinese brand, which was then partnered with the Chinese giant Geely. The group, which notably owns Volvo, Smart and Zeekr, brings its automotive expertise and supplies the SEA platform to the SUVcover of Smart #1, among others.
Baidu, in turn, is responsible for the software and autonomous driving, while it has been developing the Apollo system for a few years now, which today reaches level 4. Equipped with 31 sensors, including 2 LiDAR, the SUV will then be able to reach level 3, the only one currently allowed in Europe.
The website Auto News China clarified that the vehicle also has an Nvidia Orin X chip rated at 538 TOPS. As a reminder, this is a unit of measurement meaning ” tera operations per second” , that is ” trillion operations in one second“.
Situated between the Tesla Model Y and Model X at 4.85 meters long, this new Jidu Robo-01 has a generous 3-meter wheelbase, suggesting good habitability for passengers. Similar to the Elon Musk brand, the SUV has a Yoke steering wheel, while the seating position is very tight.
We find then a huge 35.6-inch 6K digital panel complemented by a 7-inch screen for the rear seat occupants. That’s huge, but still less than the Mercedes EQS’s 55-inch display, the Hyperscreen MBUX.
The doors have no handles and are motorized, each with a radar to prevent them from hitting another parked car, for example. Finally, the trunk volume fluctuates between 555 and 1528 litres.
More than 600 kilometers of autonomy
First sold in his launch version called Lunar Edition referring to the space race in which China is engaged against the United States, the Jidu Robo-01 has two engines for a total power output of 400 kW, or about 544 horsepower. As the site says Autohome0 to 100 km/h is achieved in just 3.9 seconds.
Equipped with a battery supplied by CATL with a capacity of 100 kW, the electric SUV can then travel a maximum of 600 kilometers in one charge according to the Chinese CLTC cycle, which is more optimistic than our European WLTP. In comparison: the Nio EL7 reaches 620 kilometers in the 100 kWh version, despite a higher Cd of 0.263 compared to 0.249 for the Robo-01.
Offers of 399,800 yuan, the equivalent of 55,175 euros at the current exchange rate, the electric SUV is quite affordable considering the services offered. Among them the semi-autonomous driving, the specific lighting that indicates whether it is activated or not or the panoramic roof and the interesting versions.
But that’s not all, because the launch version, produced in a total of 2,000 units, is also sold with free recharge and lifetime support, as well as a wireless charger to install at home. It remains to be seen if this Jidu Robo-01 will ever be sold in Europe…
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