As interest in autonomous vehicles continues to grow, AutoX Inc. today claimed that it has built the first production line in China dedicated to making fully driverless robotic taxicabs. The company said fleets of RoboTaxis equipped with its Gen5 system are already rolling off the line and getting ready to hit the road.
Founded in 2016, AutoX has been developing SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles with the mission of “democratizing autonomy.” The Shenzhen, China-based company has 12 offices and five research and development centers worldwide. Its backers include Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
In January, AutoX launched what it said was the world's first (after Waymo) and China's first robotaxi service without safety drivers available to the public. It is operating hundreds of vehicles across the country, including in a fully driverless zone covering 65 sq. mi. (168 sq. km) in the Pingshan District of Shenzhen.
AutoX designs Chinese factory for quality
AutoX said its new facility marks a major milestone in China’s autonomous vehicle industry, “as a dedicated production line is critical to guarantee the quality, safety, and consistency of every RoboTaxi. The facility is the first of its kind in China.”
The company built the factory to produce its Gen5-powered RoboTaxi fleet. Since the factory opened in July, the production line has completed three rounds of design and process optimizations to attain a high level of accuracy and consistency, said AutoX.
To ensure the quality of the complex autonomous driving system, the production lines are equipped with technologies including robots from ABB and control and transmission systems designed by Siemens, Omron, Schneider Electric, Philips, SEW, and Mitsubishi.
A peek under the RoboTaxi hood
AutoX has released a new video of its RoboTaxi factory while it is in operation (see below). It provides a view of its production line specifically designed to assemble its Gen5 autonomous driving system and RoboTaxis.
The video also offers viewers a peek at the AutoX Gen5 system for the first time, giving them a close look at the wiring and assembly of the two main sensor towers and blind-spot sensor suites.
Hidden in the trunk of the RoboTaxi is the AutoX XCU, the vehicle computing unit that powers the autonomous driving software stack, as well as all of the vehicle’s high-resolution sensors via automotive-grade connectors.
The computer is connected to liquid cooling devices integrated with the vehicle's thermal management system. After installation, the compact AutoX XCU is tucked neatly under the trunk bed, leaving enough room for passengers’ luggage.
Every RoboTaxi coming off the pre-delivery inspection line then proceeds to the automatic multi-sensor calibration turntable. Each vehicle goes through wheel calibration as well as temperature and waterproof testing. As soon as a RoboTaxi leaves the facility’s gates, it is ready to operate autonomously, said AutoX.
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