VinFast teams up with Autobrains to develop low-cost self-driving tech

[BENGALURU] VinFast has partnered with artificial intelligence (AI) firm Autobrains to develop advanced autonomous driving technology, including a low-cost “Robo-car” system, the companies said on Monday (Jan 26), potentially boosting the Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker’s self-driving tech push.

The deal could help the EV maker adopt a cheaper, camera-based autonomy system as it looks to cut costs and accelerate deployment after years of expensive and delayed self-driving bets.

For the driver assistance system, the companies said they will concentrate on enhancing the technology for the upcoming VinFast EVs, building on the automaker’s existing Level 2 capabilities.

Pilot testing of the upgraded assistance technology is already underway on VinFast’s VF 8 and VF 9 models, with the aim of gradually rolling out more advanced features across its lineup.

The partnership will also explore a new “Robo-Car” self-driving architecture, designed to enable higher levels of autonomy without costly LiDAR sensors, radar arrays or high-definition maps.

Similar to Tesla’s approach, the system relies on seven standard cameras and a compact, high-performance computing chip, a setup the companies say could deliver autonomous capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches.

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Testing of the Robo-Car system is underway in controlled zones in Hanoi, with plans to expand trials to larger cities and overseas markets, the companies said. REUTERS