The BYD Seal.
The Chinese EV-maker BYD says it will pay for any damage caused by its upgraded self-parking system, as reported earlier by Fast Company. A translated version of BYD’s announcement on Weibo says the company “will fully cover the safety and losses” of vehicles damaged by its God’s Eye self-parking system, which it claims has reached Level 4 autonomy.
So far, only Mercedes-Benz has built a Level 4 parking system, allowing select vehicles to park without human intervention. But, this feature isn’t available everywhere just yet — Mercedes-Benz drivers can only use the technology inside the Stuttgart Airport’s parking garage.
Other automakers offer parking assist features, but Tesla’s Elon Musk has been particularly vocal about making vehicles fully autonomous. Right now, Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems offer Level 2 autonomy, meaning drivers must be ready to take over if needed. Tesla also offers an Autopark feature, but, as pointed out by Fast Company, some drivers have reported that it can be inaccurate.
BYD, which has surpassed Tesla in annual sales, says customers who damage their vehicle while using its self-parking feature don’t need to go through their insurance and can contact the company directly. “BYD’s move not only reflects its absolute confidence in the technology of the Eye of God, but also demonstrates its attitude of being responsible to consumers to protect the safety of users,” a machine-translated version of BYD’s Weibo post says.
Outside of self-parking, God’s Eye is a Level 2 system that comes in three different variants, with the most advanced — God’s Eye A — featuring three LiDar sensors and reserved for luxury vehicles.
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