A \u201cglobal startup\u201d which makes electric racing vehicles unveiled plans Friday to sell a fully autonomous electric car in the US market by 2020.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The company called Nio, founded by Chinese entrepreneur William Li and with offices in Silicon Valley, Europe and China, unveiled a prototype of the vehicle called Eve at the South by Southwest tech conference in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n
According to a Nio statement, the car will be \u201ca digital companion, a robot on wheels\u201d equipped with \u201can artificial intelligence engine with an intuitive human interface, providing verbal and visual connections both within the vehicle and with the outside world.\u201d<\/p>\n
It will use its glass panels as \u201can augmented vision for occupants and for new kinds of entertainment,\u201d according to the company statement.<\/p>\n
The new car is likely to compete in the premium segment with vehicles from Tesla and others, including another Chinese-funded startup, Faraday Future, as automakers ramp up efforts to deliver autonomous driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited about having autonomous electric cars for US consumers in 2020,\u201d said Padmasree Warrior, chief executive of US division and a former executive at Cisco and Motorola.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we also unveiled our vision for the car of the future, focused on delivering unmatched user experience through leading edge, software defined hardware.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nio, which produces the NextEV cars for Formula E racing, has raised capital from Chinese tech firms Tencent and Lenovo, the private investment firms TPG and Sequoia Capital, and Singapore\u2019s sovereign wealth fund Temasek.<\/p>\n
According to its statement, Nio has more than 2,000 employees in various locations around the world and has an autonomous vehicle testing permit for California.<\/p>\n
Kris Tomasson, Nio\u2019s vice president for design, told AFP the company expected to have the first fully autonomous vehicle in the US market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a startup mentality,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are using the advantages of being nimble, and we don\u2019t have a lof of the legacy issues of traditional manufacturers.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some details will depend on US regulations, Tomasson said the vehicle will be designed as \u201ca living space\u201d for up to six passengers, but may allow for a driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are trying to bring people a joyful lifestyle, and we want to create consumer engagement from all aspects,\u201d we said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to create a holistic user experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tomasson said he expected the car to be capable of \u201clevel 4\u201d autonomy, or the highest level designated for self-driving.<\/p>\n
Another model, without full autonomy, wis set to be introduced in China in 2018, he said.<\/p>\n
Tomasson said he did not have details on pricing or the driving range between charges of the new vehicle, or where it would be manufactured.\u2014AFP<\/p>\n
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