DeepWay Xingtu, the new Chinese concept of autonomous truck (designed by Pininfarina)
DeepWay and Pininfarina dedicated great attention to the interior space creating an intelligent living cabin, a sort of a second “home” for long-haul truck drivers. DeepWay Xingtu’s new generation of smart cabin adopts the concept of separate driving, working and living spaces, giving more room to the drivers.
DeepWay Xingtu is the new Chinese concept of autonomous heavy-duty truck conveived with the aim of automating highway mainlines. The truck has been designed by Pininfarina Shanghai, the Chinese studio of the renowned Italian design house. The DeepWay brand is backed by Chinese Internet giant Baidu. Talking about new generation trucks, Pininfarina has recently collaborated with Gaussin on the French range of road trucks.
DeepWay Xingtu, a move on autonomous driving
The smart new energy heavy-duty truck is equipped with 11 onboard cameras, an infrared detector, 5 millimeter-wave radars and a LIDAR sensor, thus achieving end-to-end autonomous driving and ultra-long range detection of more than 1 km. According to the manufacturer, simulation tests conducted with the China Automobile Research Institute showed a wind resistance coefficient as low at 0.35, which effectively reduces overall energy consumption. At a full load of 49 tons, Xingtu’s custom-developed 450 kWh battery pack can travel up to 300 km on a single charge, and charges in just one hour at a 1C current.
In addition, DeepWay has developed a quick-swap solution for the battery, which enables freight drivers to swap out their battery in 6 minutes. All of this together can reduce energy, maintenance and operation costs, as well as transportation time.
A second “home” for long-haul truck drivers
DeepWay and Pininfarina dedicated great attention to the interior space creating an intelligent living cabin, a sort of a second “home” for long-haul truck drivers. DeepWay Xingtu’s new generation of smart cabin adopts the concept of separate driving, working and living spaces, giving more room to the drivers. As of December 2021, DeepWay has completed dynamic testing of autonomous driving technology, interior and exterior clay reviews and model data freeze, and will soon enter the product validation phase.
“Autonomous driving must use advanced driverless technology to create new products that offer the ultimate experience in order to achieve commercial success”, said Yunpeng Wang, vice president and general manager of autonomous driving technology at Baidu. “We aim to create value in real-life scenarios such as transporting people, delivery and life services. This new generation of vehicle is by no means just a modified truck – it’s a robot truck”.
Aerodynamics and internal space: the Pininfarina vision
Matteo Piguzzi, Head of Design of Pininfarina Shanghai, explained: “Heavy trucks are rapidly evolving to adapt in a quick-changing environment where new technologies allow smart and connected vehicles to safely help everyday duty. The sophisticated design of DeepWay introduces a new advanced language, where efficiency and aerodynamic work together to create an iconic exterior shape; and the interior perfectly integrates all the new technologies in a very modern and relaxed space, where the duty of travelling is tranformed into an intuitive and seamless new experience. Intelligent, connected, premium but practical, DeepWay Xingtu has a pure and iconic design language, marking the future of a new generation of heavy trasportation”.
