AIEV refers to the new generation of intelligent electric vehicles that deeply integrate artificial intelligence technologies. EO Intelligence has written and released the report titled "Artificial Intelligence Unlocks a New Era of Intelligence in the Automotive Industry–China's AIEV Industry Research 2024" to witness the new era of automobiles with you.
Author: Shanmei Jiang
Facing the challenge of slowing growth in the mature stage, China's automotive industry is seeking new growth points, with technological innovation becoming the core driving force for its sustained growth. The integration of intelligent technologies heralds a new vitality for the automotive industry and the formation of a new growth trajectory. Meanwhile, the field of artificial intelligence is entering a new era of large-scale technological application. Its advanced technologies not only attract the aggregation of resources and form a complete industrial ecosystem but also drive industries across the board to complete intelligent transformation, achieving dual improvements in efficiency and quality.
In 2023, with the application of multimodal large models in the automotive sector, the integration of the automotive industry and artificial intelligence (AI) gave birth to the AI-powered Electric Vehicle (AIEV). This is not only a product of technological convergence but also an inevitable trend in industrial development. The AIEV represents the successful deep integration of automobiles and AI, heralding a future for the automotive industry that is more intelligent and personalized. Its development is expected not only to provide consumers with a safer, more convenient, and more comfortable driving and riding experience but also to inject new growth momentum and market opportunities into the automotive industry. As the technology continues to mature and the market expands, AIEV is poised to become a key force in leading the transformation and upgrading of the automotive industry, ushering in a new chapter of industry development.
An Overview of the Concept and Development Background of AIEV
The development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry has entered the stage of large-scale promotion and application of large models, with multimodal large models beginning to be implemented across various fields. The new energy vehicle (NEV) sector is currently at a critical juncture in its intelligent development, where integrating intelligent technologies is key to advancing the automotive industry. The application of large models in vehicles has converged the AI and new energy vehicle industries, giving rise to a new generation of intelligent electric vehicles—Artificial Intelligence Electric Vehicles (AIEV).
AIEV, namely the new generation of intelligent electric vehicles that deeply integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, not only inherits the advantages of electrification, connectivity, and intelligence from traditional intelligent electric vehicles but also, through AI technologies, empowers various domains of the vehicle to achieve self-learning and continuous evolution. AIEV is capable of providing users with personalized intelligent services and has the potential to bring disruptive innovation to automotive products.
On the hardware level, the realization of automotive intelligence relies on continuously upgraded high-performance chips and diversified sensor technologies. As the complexity of the electronic and electrical system architecture increases, the addition of chips and sensors has made the synergy between hardware components a priority. AI technology can effectively address complex hardware coordination issues and systematically enhance the operational efficiency of a vehicle's hardware.
On the software level, AI large models are embedded into the automotive SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) framework, transforming the vehicle's software architecture at the basic software layer, functional software layer, and application software layer. With the assistance of end-to-end large models, the future software layer of vehicles will form a more efficient feedback loop, providing a greater variety of intelligent services.
In terms of human-machine collaboration, AI will take on more complex tasks and play a more significant role in control and supervision. On one hand, AI will replace human drivers to complete driving tasks. On the other hand, AI will also manage the cabin and vehicle operations, providing high-quality services to passengers. The role of human drivers will shift from control to interaction and supervision, liberating them from the burdensome task of driving.
Policies, investment and financing, technology, and user demand jointly promote the development of the AIEV industry. On the policy front, the state places high importance on and encourages the development of the AI and new energy vehicle industries. On the investment and financing front, after experiencing explosive growth in investment and financing, China's AIEV industry has returned to rationality, with investment and financing activities increasingly focusing on companies with strong technological capabilities and tangible application outcomes. On the technology front, breakthrough progress in the fields of artificial intelligence, connected vehicles, big data, cloud computing, and human-machine interaction is leading the world into an innovative era of technological convergence. On the demand front, 99% of users are aware of the application of AI technology in vehicles, with most users gaining this awareness through online channels such as WeChat public accounts. Nearly 80% of users have a positive attitude towards the application of AI technology in vehicles and are highly anticipative of its application in intelligent driving and intelligent cabin domains.
Analysis of the Current Status and Trends of AIEV Technology
China's intelligent automotive industry is forming a new ecosystem centered around AI technologies. AI solutions are at the core of this ecosystem, supported by related components such as basic software, hardware, intelligent connectivity, and vehicle-cloud integration. From the perspective of automotive products, the process of AI integration of Driving Domain, Cabin Domain, and Vehicle-Cloud Domain are progressing relatively faster. There have been product-oriented AI applications in the fields of autonomous driving, intelligent cabin, and vehicle-cloud integration. Other domains are also expected to deepen their AI applications. In the future, the development of AI in various domains will become more balanced, and on this basis, a new ecosystem with unified control across all domains is likely to emerge.
In the field of Autonomous Driving, the continuous iteration of algorithm architectures is expected to gradually achieve a full-process end-to-end solution based on learning. Meanwhile, the scope of information fusion is constantly expanding, with autonomous driving evolving from single-vehicle intelligence to an integrated vehicle-road-cloud system. In the Intelligent Cabin Domain, individual intelligence is progressing towards a collective intelligence system, with the potential to provide personalized services to users through the collaboration of general-purpose large models. In the Vehicle-Cloud Domain, AI technology is playing an increasingly important role at key nodes within the Vehicle-Cloud Infrastructure, with the potential to gradually achieve full-process AI integration. In the Chassis Domain, AI is applied to vehicle posture and suspension adjustments, with the intelligent chassis integrating AI, vehicle-road-cloud data fusion being the future direction. In the Power Domain, the application of AI technology is continuously expanding, expected to extend from battery and energy management to the field of energy replenishment. The Body Domain is becoming increasingly connected with AI technology, with the potential for all body functional components to be uniformly controlled and coordinated by an AI assistant. As the degree of automotive intelligence increases, AI technologies in various domains are expected to be integrated into an AI Domain, which will coordinate intelligent functions across all domains.
Assessment of the Development Level of AIEV among OEMs
EO Intelligence has constructed a screening dimension system based on market share in China, brand influence, and AIEV technology incubation capabilities of OEMs. This system was used to select 16 representative OEMs as the subjects of study. On this basis, a comprehensive evaluation system model has been developed, aiming to fully assess the development status of these OEMs in the AIEV field. The evaluation system model is based on three key dimensions: the degree of product AI Integration, the level of computing infrastructure construction, and the capability of AI ecosystem collaboration.
In terms of products, Chinese OEMs have demonstrated product advantages in the application of AI in vehicles. Regarding computing infrastructure, Chinese OEMs have increasingly focused on the construction of computing infrastructure in recent years. By collaborating with technology companies to establish intelligent computing centers, they are gradually narrowing the gap in computing infrastructure with Tesla. In terms of cooperative ecosystems, Chinese OEMs are continuously strengthening ecological cooperation to enhance their capabilities in AI technology research and application.
Overall, the development of AI technology has the potential for exponential growth. This means that the current gaps in technology application, computing infrastructure, and cooperative ecosystems could potentially evolve into insurmountable technological chasms in the future. Over time, these chasms may lead to fragmentation within the industry, causing the differences between leading companies and laggards to continue to widen. EO Intelligence believes that for all OEMs participating in the competition, continuous AI technology innovation, enhanced computing power, and strengthened ecological cooperation are the keys to maintaining competitiveness and market position.
Insights into the Development Trends of the AIEV Industry
The attributes of automotive products are accelerating their transformation into new spaces for intelligent services and mobile computing centers. On one hand, by gradually integrating AI technologies, automobiles are providing users with AI services that meet the needs of work, home, and social scenarios. Their role is shifting from a mere driving and riding tool to a new space for intelligent services. On the other hand, the increasing level of AI integration in various domains of the vehicle is driving it to possess more powerful computing capabilities, thus transforming the car into a mobile computing center. This robust computing power, on one hand, supports the execution of precise and complex tasks across domains, and on the other hand, meets the demands for model training in collective intelligence.
The vehicle-road-cloud collaborative system, supported by AI technology, has the potential to reshape the way transportation operates. Looking ahead, the platooning mode of vehicle operation is expected to gradually replace the current independent vehicle control mode. It will become a key component of the intelligent transportation network, thereby enhancing the overall operational efficiency of the transportation system. Under this new mode of transportation, users' commuting time will be reduced, traffic safety will be enhanced, and energy utilization efficiency will be improved.
With the rapid advancement of technology and the upgrading of consumer demand, automobiles are transforming into a combination of technology and consumer electronics. The strength of OEMs in AI technology is becoming a core competitive element. Traditional OEMs are gradually transitioning into technology companies. The increasing frequency with which users replace their cars is pushing the automotive industry closer to consumer electronics, adding a new dimension to this transformation. In this process of transformation, the strength in AI technology is increasingly becoming a core competitive factor for OEMs. The accumulation of AI technology, the reserve of talent in the AI field, and the capability of AI ecosystem collaboration are the keys to competition.
Conclusion
The close integration of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is leading an innovative revolution in the automotive industry. The intelligent characteristics of AI-enabled Electric Vehicles (AIEV) have not only promoted the integration of automotive electronic and electrical architectures but also redefined the software architecture of vehicles, bringing revolutionary innovations to automotive products. Thanks to the active support of national policies and the enthusiastic market response to AI technologies, the AIEV industry has been able to grow rapidly. Chinese automotive enterprises have demonstrated unique product advantages through technological innovation and the construction of partner ecosystems. They have also made significant progress in building intelligent computing centers, narrowing the gap with global leading companies.
EO Intelligence maintains an optimistic outlook on the future development of China's AIEV industry and looks forward to the automotive industry achieving intelligent upgrades and disruptive innovations empowered by AI technologies. Committed to tracking the field of automotive intelligence, EO Intelligence is dedicated to monitoring the field of automotive intelligence. Through in-depth research and surveys, we generate insightful reports that offer valuable references for the industry. Meanwhile, we also look forward to engaging in communication and cooperation with a wide range of readers and jointly contributing to the sustainable and healthy development of the AIEV industry.
For more details on the report, please refer to "Artificial Intelligence Unlocks a New Era of Intelligence in the Automotive Industry–China's AIEV Industry Research 2024". Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the report author, Shanmei Jiang, at jiangshanmei@iyiou.com. Report link: https://www.iyiou.com/research/202407311389