Valeo, an automotive supplier, and DiDi Autonomous Driving, an autonomous driving technology company, have announced a new cooperation and investment agreement.
The partnership aims to develop intelligent safety solutions for L4 robotaxis, further advancing the future of autonomous driving.
Under the agreement, Valeo plans to invest in DiDi Autonomous Driving, solidifying their partnership and demonstrating Valeo’s commitment to supporting a key player in the autonomous driving industry. Together, the two companies will leverage their expertise to deliver safe, reliable, comfortable, and cost-effective autonomous driving services to passengers.
Valeo strategy executive vice president and CTO Geoffrey BOUQUOT said: “Valeo has been developing leading technologies to reach and support L4 autonomous driving for many years. DiDi Autonomous Driving, with its strong focus on shared mobility, holds a leading edge in technology R&D and operational capabilities.
“Today, we are proud to sign this agreement to invest in DiDi Autonomous Driving and join our R&D efforts to develop safety solutions. This strategic partnership will contribute to Valeo’s commitment to offer solutions for smart, safe and affordable mobility.”
A primary focus of the collaboration will be the establishment of a joint research and development team dedicated to enhancing safety systems for L4 robotaxis.
To provide an additional layer of safety for users, Valeo and DiDi Autonomous Driving will supplement the primary L4 standard technology, which enables the robotaxi to autonomously and safely navigate, with a secondary set of hardware and software.
This secondary system, known as the Automated Safety Pilot, will offer redundancy to the main autonomous driving system in the event of a sudden failure. Moreover, it will incorporate customized safety features specifically designed for various operational scenarios.
In critical situations, this intelligent safety solution will take control of the robotaxi, executing necessary actions to ensure the safety of both passengers and other road users.
The initial deployment of this intelligent safety solution will be in DiDi Autonomous Driving’s L4 robotaxis, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration between Valeo and DiDi Autonomous Driving. By combining their strengths and expertise, the partners aim to set new benchmarks for safety in autonomous driving and pave the way for a future of widespread adoption of L4 robotaxis.
DiDi Autonomous Driving COO Meng Xing said: “The strategic partnership with Valeo enables us to achieve major breakthroughs in the standardizing and scaling of key modules of autonomous driving systems, to further improve the overall system safety of L4 Robotaxis, and to provide passengers with high-quality driverless mobility services.
“Together, we aim to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving technology.”
