On April 12, 2024, at the GAC Tech Day, GAC officially introduced its imageless pure vision Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) along with a 100% all-solid-state power battery. Both technologies are scheduled to be integrated into vehicles by 2026.
GAC's all-solid-state power battery adopts high-capacity solid-state positive electrode technology and third-generation sponge silicon negative electrode technology (new nano-silicon composite negative electrode). The all-solid-state positive electrode can achieve a high areal capacity of over 5mAh/cm2, thereby achieving an energy density of over 400Wh/kg. Compared with the current most advanced liquid lithium-ion batteries, its volumetric energy density and mass energy density are increased by more than 50%, enabling the vehicle's range to exceed 1000km. With three core advantages of ultra-high energy density, ultra-high safety, and large-capacity all-solid-state battery cells, it is expected to be installed in Hao Bo models in 2026.
In terms of safety, GAC's solid-state power battery adopts a high-strength and dense composite electrolyte membrane, ensuring that the battery does not explode during 200°C hot box testing, setting a new safety standard for high-energy-density batteries. Additionally, the battery maintains stable performance under extreme conditions such as puncture, cutting, -78°C dry ice environment, and immersion in 90°C hot water, and does not undergo thermal runaway under mechanical abuse conditions such as nail penetration and cutting, significantly enhancing the safety of automobiles.
In terms of battery capacity, GAC's all-solid-state power battery has successfully established the entire process manufacturing technology by experimenting with over a hundred material and process schemes. It has achieved the manufacturing of large-size, multi-layer stacked all-solid-state battery cells with a capacity of up to 30Ah, far exceeding the current industry's highest level (10Ah-15Ah), laying the foundation for the application of vehicle-grade all-solid-state power batteries.
The main battlefield of the new round of technological competition in the automotive industry lies in intelligent connected new energy vehicles, with intelligence, especially autonomous driving, becoming the focus of competition. The GAC's imageless pure visual intelligent driving system introduced in this Tech Day can be applied to complex and changing full scenarios. Compared with the current mainstream technology routes, it not only does not require high-precision maps but also does not rely on LiDAR. Instead, it combines visual sensors and industry-leading AI algorithms to perceive the world like humans, achieving intelligent driving with a simpler hardware system that covers a wider range.
The GAC Vision-Less Autonomous Driving System possesses three leading capabilities in visual recognition. Firstly, it exhibits an exceptional ability to accurately understand complex traffic scenarios, including ramps, tunnels, bends, intersections, and diverging roads. Secondly, it demonstrates remarkable proficiency in recognizing traffic signals. Utilizing deep neural networks, the system accurately identifies various signal elements, such as signal types, symbols, colors, countdown timers, and blinking states. Lastly, it excels in handling complex and dynamic environments. With a perception range of over 150 meters in the front, 100 meters in the rear, and 50 meters on each side—1.5 times the industry standard—the system can detect not only common traffic factors like vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and small animals but also irregular obstacles like pushcarts and camping tents.
In terms of decision-making and action, the GAC No-Map Pure Vision Autonomous Driving System performs exceptionally well. Utilizing real-time tracking of dynamic traffic objects, intention recognition, trajectory prediction, and a command brain driven by both data and expert rules, coupled with GAC's innovative fluid spatiotemporal joint planning technology, this system can accurately anticipate the behaviors of other traffic participants, making rational, safe, and efficient driving decisions. Additionally, in parking scenarios, the system demonstrates outstanding performance, with a minimum error controlled to 5cm, capable of achieving the industry's most challenging tasks such as parking in tight, three-dimensional spaces.
Moreover, the GAC No-Map Pure Vision Autonomous Driving System possesses the capability of continuous learning and evolution. With its proprietary data feedback loop and simulation system, this system can continuously iterate and optimize algorithms in simulation tests, achieving self-improvement and evolution.
It's worth noting that GAC has simultaneously deployed two major technological routes in the field of autonomous driving: the mainstream "multi-sensor fusion technology" and the forward-looking "map-free pure vision technology." Both routes by GAC aim to break free from reliance on high-definition maps. Currently, high-definition maps cover only about 6% of the national road mileage, meaning that autonomous driving based on high-definition maps is unavailable on approximately 94% of roads nationwide. However, both technological routes by GAC achieve "drive with navigation," ensuring functionality regardless of map availability.
At this year's Tech Day, GAC Group showcased a range of advanced technologies and user-friendly products. These included electromagnetic suspension, the MBoard2.0 smart chassis, and even a flying car. Additionally, they unveiled the GAC New Energy E9 Welfare Vehicle, specifically tailored for users with mobility limitations.
Previously, GAC Group's first flying car, GOVE, made its global debut flight at the 2023 GAC Tech Day. In March of this year, it conducted a flight demonstration over Guangzhou's CBD, marking the first successful flight verification in the complex low-altitude urban environment. This significant milestone paves the way for exploring demonstration operations of urban air traffic by GAC.
The showcased GAC New Energy E9 Welfare Vehicle stands out for its unique feature: detachable electric welfare seats. Once landed, these seats can easily detach from the vehicle, transforming into electric mobile wheelchairs. With a range of 26 kilometers and a maximum load capacity of 120 kilograms, this innovation harnesses technology to create a better and happier life for more elderly consumers.
