SAIC Hongyan, in collaboration with Youdao Zhitu, is set to launch its 5G+L4 smart heavy truck for intelligent networked vehicle trial operations in Danzhou this July. This move follows the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) announcement on June 4, 2024, regarding the commencement of intelligent networked vehicle trial access and road operation. Among the nine initial trial unit consortiums, SAIC Hongyan and Youdao Zhitu are the sole representatives from the truck sector.
Currently, at the bustling Yangpu Port, trucks face long queues for loading and unloading, often taking up to several hours, leading to high labor costs and low efficiency. The advent of intelligent networked vehicles, which promise cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and enhanced safety, aims to address these issues. The trial of SAIC Hongyan’s 5G+L4 smart heavy truck, leveraging “vehicle-road-cloud integration,” will provide real-time updates on road conditions and vehicle status, significantly boosting traffic efficiency. The trial operation will cover Yangpu Port and its surrounding areas, including port yard transfers and social roads around the park. The test driving route spans from Yangpu Port to the Yangpu Petrochemical Industrial Park, a total of 15.3 kilometers.
Advanced Autonomous Driving Capabilities
SAIC Hongyan’s 5G+L4 smart heavy truck is equipped with an intelligent driving system capable of various autonomous driving functions such as:
- Following other vehicles
- Platooning
- Overtaking
- Detour around road closures
- Unprotected left turns
- Multi-vehicle merge and exit scenarios
- Parking in narrow spaces
- Precise stopping
- Traffic light recognition
- Barrier recognition
The vehicle has successfully achieved L4-level autonomous driving in specific scenarios, centimeter-level positioning, precise parking (±3 cm), identification of 886 hazardous scenarios, and 1,037 functional safety tests. The truck’s Honghu intelligent driving system features multiple sensor redundancies and long-distance perception capabilities through laser, visual, and millimeter-wave sensors, providing 360° all-around perception. It also boasts centimeter-level high-precision positioning in all scenarios, enhancing safety in short-distance transport within industrial parks.
Progression of Autonomous Driving Levels
Autonomous driving is classified into six levels from L0 to L5, corresponding to “emergency assistance, partial driving assistance, combined driving assistance, conditional automated driving, high automated driving, and fully automated driving.” The trial operation in Danzhou focuses on L3-level driving outside the port and L4-level driving within the port. The plan outlines that from 2026 to 2027, the trial operation will enter its second phase, extending the test route to a 70-kilometer section from Yangpu Port to Wangwu Industrial Park, aiming for automatic container transportation services. By 2025, around 50 smart heavy trucks will be deployed for the intelligent networked vehicle trial operation.
SAIC Hongyan’s 5G+L4 smart heavy truck, backed by advanced intelligent driving data and precise operational experience, will continue to push the commercialization of autonomous driving technology. The goal is to refine the product through real-world operations, creating greater value for customers.
Moving forward, SAIC Hongyan will continue its partnership with Youdao Zhitu, focusing on technological innovation and driving industry progress. They are committed to the commercial vehicle autonomous driving sector, striving to develop smarter, safer, and more efficient autonomous driving solutions. Their efforts aim to propel the development of intelligent transportation systems, contributing to the advancement of smart mobility and the intelligent transportation ecosystem.
