BYD Surpasses Tesla Once More As Its ‘God’s Eye’ Autonomous Driving Technology Outpaces FSD

      **BYD**

      China is keeping a close eye on you. Yes, we are aware, Braga. Jokes aside, it seems that BYD, the Chinese automotive manufacturer, has developed self-driving technology that may surpass Tesla's, both now and in the future. Recently, BYD, the world's largest maker of electric vehicles, introduced its latest advanced driver-assistance system, ominously named “God’s Eye,” which sounds remarkably powerful.

      However, the new ADAS is only as comprehensive as your budget allows; there are currently three tiers available. Despite the three variations (A, B, and C), God’s Eye can be equipped across BYD’s entire vehicle range, including the most affordable model, the Seagull. Reports from CarNewsChina indicate that these systems will be activated in existing vehicles without any additional cost to customers.

      Let’s delve into the details of BYD’s ADAS levels since there’s a lot to unpack.

      God’s Eye C serves as the “entry-level” option but boasts 12 cameras, 5 mm-wave radar, and 12 ultrasonic radars, making its capabilities comparable to Level 2 on the SAE Levels of Driving Automation. It might even qualify as Level 2+, as some experts suggest, given that vehicles equipped with God’s Eye C can self-park, according to CleanTechnica. This type of technology is typically found in high-end cars (in North America) rather than a sub-$10,000 hatchback.

      As you move up to more expensive electric vehicles, you get LiDar added. God’s Eye B incorporates one LiDar sensor, while God’s Eye A utilizes three LiDar units, reaching SAE Level 3 semi-autonomous driving. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta, now just FSD (Supervised), remains a Level 2 feature as it still requires the driver’s attention. Forbes highlights that Tesla’s FSD hasn’t received approval in China yet, while the Autopilot hands-on system, including its enhanced lane-changing feature, is still permitted.

      But how accurate is BYD's God’s Eye? CarNewsChina states that God’s Eye C provides a standard 360-degree view, with its front radars detecting distances up to 300 meters and its ultrasonic radars achieving an accuracy of 1 cm. In terms of parking, the basic God’s Eye system claims to be accurate to within 2 cm. While we lack comparative data from other EV manufacturers, a centimeter of accuracy is still impressive—essentially the width of a pinky finger.

      As noted by CleanTechnica, the integration of cameras, radars, and other sensors offers a fuller understanding of driving, environmental, and operational data than relying on a single technology. For instance, Tesla has avoided using LiDar in its ADAS and phased out radar in 2021. The camera-based Tesla Vision has garnered unwelcome attention due to its shortcomings. A study by LendingTree found Tesla had the highest crash rate among automakers, raising concerns when owners highlight vehicle designs that withstand crashes instead of preventing them through ADAS.

      The capacity to process all the information collected by a vehicle is as critical as the safety features themselves. BYD claims that its God’s Eye A, B, and C systems have impressive processing power, with speeds of 100, 300, and 600 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS), respectively. System A is intended for the BYD brand, while the more advanced system B will be used for the Denza brand and top-tier BYD models. The highest-tier God’s Eye C will be exclusive to BYD’s luxury division, Yangwang. This arrangement ensures that the Xuanji architecture is functional enough to support vehicles engaging in fully autonomous track days.

      As for another eye-opening figure, BYD allegedly employs around 110,000 engineers. Chairman Wang Chuanfu revealed that 5,000 of these engineers focus solely on intelligent driving systems, and last year, the ADAS training mileage reached 72 million kilometers (44.7 million miles) daily.

      BYD describes its God’s Eye system architecture as consisting of “one brain, two ends, three networks, and four chains.” In simpler terms, each vehicle will feature a "central processor, cloud AI, vehicle-side AI, Internet of Vehicles, 5G network, satellite network, sensor chain, control chain, data chain, and mechanical chain," as explained by CarNewsChina.

      If this all sounds too remarkable, many are inclined to believe it. Not only due to the example of self-driving track cars, but because, unlike other EV manufacturers, BYD is not limiting its advanced autonomous system to only select high-end or luxury models. Following BYD's announcement, the stock prices of its US-listed EV competitors declined, with XPeng, NIO, and Li Auto falling by 6.9%, 6.7%, and 4.9% respectively