26 Dossier | WeRide Robobus 2020 that we discussed with Yutong the product positioning and ideal product solutions for installation in the minibus, with Yutong being responsible for engineering the vehicle body and electromechanical control systems, and our team covering the hardware and software for autonomous driving.” Both companies shared the hefty responsibility of debugging the first prototypes, successfully rolling out the first batch of Robobuses on track for their January 2021 launch date, such that road testing could start and the autonomous driving technologies could be trialled in the real world. Those trials took place in Guangzhou within the defined boundaries of Guangzhou International Biotech Island (the river island on which WeRide’s China offices are headquartered). Six months of software optimisations followed and, in July 2021, WeRide began trialling the prototypes on public roads (still in its island-based HQ’s surroundings), and demonstrating it for potential partners and customers from Beijing, Wuxi, Nanjing and the UAE. Shipping of trial Robobuses to those locations followed. It was soon after that WeRide’s engineers felt confident about a raft of improvements they wanted in the minibus’ design and engineering. They wanted to do away with the safety driver’s seat, steering wheel, brake paddles and related peripherals – a truly L4-grade, self-driving vehicle has no need for such things after all – and they also wanted far larger windows to enhance the comfort and enjoyment of Robobus’ passengers, given the importance of endearing potentially wary customers to the experience of taking self-driving public transport. “We also wanted the capacity and authorisations needed for higher speeds, which merited adding a lot of redundancies into the vehicle design,” Liu says. “So, for version two, we added redundant battery power buses, brakes and steering control channels. Also, version one had just two Lidars, and both of those were 16-channel devices. Version two has been redesigned to integrate four more Lidars, and the two main Lidars now function with 64 channels. We’ve also installed 12 HD cameras – that’s probably the biggest single upgrade between Robobus versions one and two.” Compute systems have also been updated: while version one ran on an Nvidia Xavier-level computer, version two currently uses a proprietary main computer, designed by WeRide to achieve the power, speed and space necessary for its current self-driving algorithms, as well as future expansions and refinements of its AI capabilities. “We also added infotainment systems, including a voice-control system so that passengers can request some particular music, route information and other things,” Liu notes. “Getting all these upgrades to work together in a stable package was quite challenging. At a high level, WeRide is a quite new high-tech company, and Yutong is a deeply established and traditional automotive OEM, so we have very different development cultures. “Yutong is really focused on traceability and certifiability – including writing down basically everything that happens in their facilities – and on engineering via committees and constant meetings to be confident in any decision they make on one of their vehicles. October/November 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology The Robobus (pictured in Paris) is a battery-electric minibus, weighing 4300 kg, which transports up to 10 seated passengers at a time Much of the core technology from WeRide’s Robotaxi has been ported to the Robobus via the ‘WeRide One’ platform of application software, infrastructural software and modular hardware
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