BYD will pay out if your autonomous car crashes itself… but only in China
Full Damage Coverage will take care of legal costs and damage caused by crashes that occur when BYD’s cars are using their God’s Eye ADAS or Intelligent Parking functions
BYD has claimed that it’s the world’s first carmaker to provide full damage coverage for its autonomous driving software. This effectively means that if the car crashes while utilising its ADAS tech, BYD will pay for the damage and legal fees.
The problem? It’s only available in China for now.
Specifically, the Full Damage Coverage service lasts for one year for new car buyers and anyone who upgrades to BYD’s latest driver-assistance software. It covers legally liable accidents – ie those in which the driver was not breaking the law – when a vehicle is utilising its ‘God’s Eye’ urban driver assistance assistance feature (yes, that’s actually what it’s called), or it is manoeuvring hands-free via the Intelligent Parking function.
BYD’s bold move can largely be attributed to its confidence in the AI architecture that powers its ADAS software. The firm says its semi-autonomous systems run on “an industry‑first satellite sensor architecture, an upgraded physical AI large model, and a self‑evolving data flywheel built on massive real‑world scenarios”.
All of this equates to offering Level 4 autonomous driving, which involves full self-driving under certain conditions – ie in certain areas such as cities – without requiring human intervention. Of course, there is still the option to manually override the tech.
As of the time of writing, only Level 2 autonomous driving is legal in the UK, bar some trials of fully autonomous taxi and bus services in London. Level 2 autonomous driving can take full control of the steering and throttle, but requires the driver to pay full attention and step in as and when required.
Many cars that boast these features, such as the Tesla Model Y and Ford Puma Gen-E, are available with great deals through the Auto Express Buy A Car service. Our Sell My Car service also has dealers bidding against each other to get you the best price for your old wheels, too.
BYD’s progress in delivering driving assistance software has been achieved alongside other breakthroughs. For example, the firm recently unveiled the world’s most powerful EV charger which, at 1,500kW, can top up the giant’s 100kWh Denza Z9GT flagship from 10-70 per cent in five minutes.
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