Self-Driving Car: What if Geely Outran Tesla?

Mobileye hopes to outpace its former client Tesla in the development of the first Level 4 autonomous passenger car. To do this, it is collaborating with Zeekr, a subsidiary of the Chinese giant Geely.

Elon Musk has been promising the imminent launch of 100% autonomous driving on “his” Tesla vehicles since 2018. The latest updates indicate that the launch was planned for 2022, and since September, some American customers have been testing development versions. But with repeated delays, official announcements of new deadlines are no longer fully trusted. Owners who pre-ordered the “Full Self Driving” (FSD) option, priced between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on the period, are starting to grow impatient.

The “fully autonomous driving capability,” known in its original form as “full self driving,” aims to advance Tesla’s autopilot from level 2 directly to level 4. For several years, “Autopilot” has been able to keep Tesla vehicles in their lanes, change lanes, and park automatically, under active driver supervision. The FSD option in turn promises eventual automated driving from point A to point B, with a driver ready to take back control at any moment but able to attend to other tasks during normal operation.

These recently unprecedented functions and enticing promises have significantly contributed to Tesla’s reputation and success.

Read also: Mercedes Drive Pilot: First Level 3 autonomous cars in Europe

Mobileye and Zeekr in the Wings

However, if Tesla continues to postpone, it risks being overtaken. Mobileye and Zeekr announced at CES 2022 that they had strengthened their partnership with the goal of launching in 2024 the first Level 4 autonomous passenger car.

Zeekr is one of the brands of the Geely group, the number one player in the Chinese automotive market, alongside Volvo, Polestar, and Lynk & Co. It notably markets the Zeekr 001, a 100% electric sedan.

The Israeli company Mobileye was acquired in 2017 by the American Intel, the second-largest global manufacturer of semiconductors, and has been working since 1999 on computer vision technologies, driving assistance, and autonomous driving.

Mobileye is perhaps all the more driven to beat Tesla because it supplied the first Autopilot for the Model S in 2015, before being replaced the following year by a proprietary solution. Grab the popcorn; the melodrama is just beginning!

Read also: Nuro’s autonomous vehicles deliver their first pizzas in California