Huawei AITO’s AEB Failure? Richard Yu Responds

On the morning of November 13th, near Hengxing Road in Dongcheng District, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, a Huawei AITO M5 car collided with the rear vehicle while reversing and rode onto the roof of the other party’s car.

The viral video shows that after the car was hit, it temporarily stopped at the intersection. The front of the AITO M5 reversed from the square and suddenly accelerated, making a half arc before quickly crashing into the left side of the rear car, causing it to be skewed. In the end, the front wheels of the AITO M5 were on the ground while its rear wheels directly rode onto the roof of the rear car.

On the evening of November 13th (at Beijing time), AITO Official Weibo released a statement regarding the accident incident at Dongguan Liaobu User Center: On November 13th, 2023, an accident occurred during the test drive by a user at Dongguan Liaobu.

After analyzing the data from the backend and confirming with the test drive user, it was determined that the user mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal, resulting in the accident. According to the data from the accident vehicle, after shifting into reverse gear, the throttle was fully depressed twice for a total duration of 4 seconds, with an acceleration of -5.83m/s². During this period, the maximum motor speed was 3180 rpm, maximum torque was 300N·m, and maximum vehicle speed reached 32.82 km/h. Currently, both vehicles involved in the accident have been covered by insurance for repair and compensation through test drive car insurance. Fortunately, no injuries were caused by this accident.

On the evening of the 13th, Richard Yu provided further explanation and response to the earlier AITO question regarding the accident during a test drive at the Dongguan Liaobu User Center.

Richard Yu stated that after the user received the car on the 12th, a home test drive was scheduled for November 13th. During the process, due to customer mistakenly stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake while reversing, it resulted in a collision with the rear vehicle.

Regarding the non-intervention of the AEB function, Richard Yu stated that after communication with the ADS team and quality department, it was found that the vehicle’s rear emergency braking system does not recognize stationary vehicles. This information is clearly indicated in the manual. To activate this feature, one needs to shift into reverse gear and press the accelerator pedal twice at 100% throttle each time for a total duration of 4 seconds. The acceleration is -5.83m/s2, with a maximum motor speed of 3180 RPM, maximum torque of 300Nm, and maximum vehicle speed of 32.82km/h. Based on external video footage from a recording device, it can be concluded that this incident was caused by customer error in mistakenly pressing down on the accelerator pedal.

In recent times, there has been a heated debate in the automotive industry regarding the AEB function.

SEE ALSO: Huawei and XPeng Engage in A Virtual “Mutual Attack” Due to AEB

After several debates, on November 9th, He Xiaopeng publicly posted on his Weibo account, stating that he had discussed the technical direction with Richard Yu. However, no conclusion was reached. He only expressed gratitude for Richard Yu’s suggestions and generosity, and lamented that “sometimes misunderstandings can lead to better friendships.”

At the press conference held on November 9th, Richard Yu once again responded to the AEB test by saying that it is just a small case, a piece of cake. “In recent tests, we haven’t released many features yet. If we do release them, we will be even stronger,” said Richard Yu.

In fact, AEB is not a new phenomenon and has long been integrated into the automotive industry. Traditional automobile manufacturing countries such as the United States and Japan have already included AEB in their evaluation systems, while Europe made it mandatory for newly produced heavy commercial vehicles to install AEB systems as early as November 2015.

The AEB system is an electronic system that assists with braking. It uses radar to detect the distance between the vehicle and the vehicles or obstacles in front, and analyzes this information through an electronic control unit. Based on different distances and speeds, it determines whether there is a risk of collision and alerts the driver accordingly. It can automatically apply emergency brakes or reduce vehicle speed to minimize the probability of colliding with vehicles or pedestrians ahead, thus preventing accidents.