Official Response from WENJIE Regarding Four Major Questions on the M7 Accident: Collision Speed Exceeded AEB Range

Pulsestacks reported on May 6th that AITO Motors official Weibo account released a statement titled "Explanation on the Technical Issues of the WENJIE New M7 Plus in the Traffic Accident on the Houpingshanxi Expressway in Shanxi Province." The following is the original statement: On April 26, 2024, a traffic accident occurred on the Houpin Expressway in Shanxi Province. A Wanjie New M7 Plus rear-ended a road maintenance vehicle in the inner fast lane. We are deeply saddened by this traffic accident.

After the accident, we actively cooperated with the traffic police to conduct an investigation, providing all necessary data to determine the cause of the accident. The specific investigation results are subject to the official report issued by the traffic police department.

Recently, there has been widespread online attention to the incident. Here are explanations regarding technical issues related to the Wanjie New M7 Plus vehicle (referred to as the "accident vehicle") that users are concerned about:

Question 1: Why didn't the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) function successfully avoid the collision?

• The braking system of the accident vehicle was functioning normally before the collision. According to backend data analysis, there were 2 braking actions within 5 minutes before the accident, and the vehicle was able to decelerate normally.

• The Wanjie New M7 Plus is equipped with an L2 level advanced driver assistance system (not the Huawei ADS 2.0 intelligent driving system), with the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) operating range from 4 to 85 km/h. The collision occurred when the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 115 km/h, exceeding the AEB's operating range.

Question 2: What caused the vehicle to catch fire? Did the battery self-ignite?

• During the high-speed rear-end collision at 115 km/h between the accident vehicle and the road maintenance vehicle in front, the protruding beam-like hard structure of the front vehicle severely intruded into the left upper front compartment and passenger compartment of the accident vehicle, causing severe damage to the front compartment and passenger compartment. The wiring was instantly cut, leading to ignition from high-temperature components or short-circuit sparks in the front compartment. The fire started on the left side of the front compartment and spread to the entire vehicle, but the power battery pack did not self-ignite.

Question 3: Did the airbags deploy correctly?

• According to backend data analysis, there was a seatbelt buckle signal in the driver's seat before the collision, while the front passenger seat and the 3 rear seats had no seatbelt buckle signal. The status monitoring of the airbags was normal, and the airbags deployed correctly during the collision.

Question 4: Could the doors be opened after the collision?

• The Wanjie New M7 Plus has a collision automatic unlocking function and is equipped with a mechanical door handle inside. In special emergency situations, the door can be unlocked by pulling the mechanical door handle. During the high-speed rear-end collision at 115 km/h between the accident vehicle and the road maintenance vehicle in front, the intrusion of the hard beam-like structure of the front vehicle severely damaged the left upper front compartment and passenger compartment of the accident vehicle, cutting off the power and signal lines instantly. The door handle controller did not receive the pop-out signal, so rescue personnel had to break the window and pull the mechanical door handle to open the door for rescue.

Note: The schematic diagram is a technical simulation demonstration based on the relevant data of the accident vehicle.

The official technical explanation is relatively detailed and addresses the core issues that were previously questioned.

Note: The schematic diagram is a technical simulation demonstration based on the relevant data of the accident vehicle.

Wanjie M7 Accident Explanation (Source: pulsestacks)

I would like to discuss three points here:

Firstly, as reported by pulsestacks earlier, the accident vehicle (Wanjie New M7 Plus) did not have the Huawei ADS advanced intelligent driving system. The non-Huawei AEB system had an operating range of 4-85 km/h, while the collision speed in this accident was 115 km/h, exceeding this range. According to public data, current models with the Huawei ADS system have an AEB operating range of 4-150 km/h, with the ability to stop at speeds up to 120 km/h for stationary vehicles. Under highway speed conditions, if advanced intelligent driving systems can be more widely adopted and the AEB operating range further improved, it may help prevent more tragedies from occurring.

Secondly, AEB is only a driving assistance function, not designed to avoid collisions entirely. It can only attempt to reduce the severity of collisions by lowering the driving speed. Drivers must always pay attention to environmental safety, control the vehicle promptly when necessary, and not rely solely on AEB and driver assistance systems.

Thirdly, according to the official investigation statement from Wanjie, the airbags deployed correctly in this accident, and there was no seatbelt buckle signal for the front passenger and rear seats. Seatbelts at high speeds can help minimize the risk of passengers experiencing severe impacts due to inertia. Whether in the front or rear seats, it is essential to wear seatbelts.

Furthermore, Wanjie's explanation also addressed the issue of the concealed door handles not popping out. The high-speed collision caused the power and signal lines to be instantly cut, preventing the door handle controller from receiving the pop-out signal. Could there be a better safety redundancy solution for such situations?

pulsestacks will continue to monitor further accident investigation results from the transportation department. Let's remember that safety comes first on the roads, and let's strive for a better road safety environment to prevent such tragedies from happening again.