If you told me a car company was rolling out “God’s Eye” Intelligent Driving, I’d assume it was a doomsday laser from a James Bond movie. Something a guy in a suit named Maximillian would use to hold the world hostage for one million dollars.
God’s Eye Intelligent Driving isn’t a doomsday weapon… not yet, anyway, assuming the AIs don’t turn on us.
This is BYD’s answer to Tesla Autopilot, and unlike Tesla, BYD is giving it away for free (well, sort of). If you buy a BYD vehicle over $13,700 USD, you get the full self-driving package included. No $8,000 paywall, no subscription. Just a car that drives itself, right out of the box.
That is… kind of amazing. I really like the way that tastes, actually.
How Well Does “God’s Eye” Autonomous Driving Work? See for Yourself
We have 2 videos to show you. The first is the glossy promotional reel. Honestly, skip it. It will help you understand how the system works (and how far the marketing departments of Chinese megacorporations have advanced in the last 2 decades!). Watch it if you want context.
The second video, this is really exciting! From my new best friend Little Wang (YEAHHHRRR) of Little Wang Test Drives. Little Wang puts the God’s Eye system through the paces, and we get to see him drive about 180 miles (300km) in autonomous mode.
My favorite part? The God’s Eye system accurately spots a street dog crossing the street and brakes to avoid it with plenty of space. That’s low-key amazing. This is a system that feels ready for prime time.
God, What a Name
And I know what you’re thinking: yes, the name “God’s Eye” sounds ominous.
It’s way more apocalyptic in English than in Chinese. Another translation from Mandarin would be “God-Like Vision,” which is still a little dramatic, but at least it’s not actively threatening us with divine judgment.
Think “super-human sight” as a synonym. It’s one of those quirky things, sometimes even in a room of extremely intelligent product designers, the names just don’t translate well.
Remember the Chevy Nova? Spanish for “doesn’t go?” Turns out, every Spanish speaker who saw an ad for one remembers it, and not for the reason that an automotive company wants to be remembered for!
BYD Autonomous Tech Takes a Different Approach from Tesla
For those of you who are autonomous driving geeks, I know you’re wondering: what’s the sensor array look like?
Well, let me tell you all about the sensor array. It comes in three tiers:
- God’s Eye A: Entry level BYD cars will ship with an optical camera and radar-based detection suite. This is almost exactly equivalent to the controversially incomplete sensors that enable Tesla’s FSD autonomous driving system.
- God’s Eye B: For flagship BYD vehicles and their associated luxury brands, this upgrade is primarily to the autonomous driving system’s computer processor.
- God’s Eye C: For luxury brands under the BYD umbrella. A further processor upgrade, and the key ingredient to top-flight autonomous driving systems: a LiDAR array with 3 sensors.
So, the more you pony up, the safer your car’s autopilot system will be. Nothing new there, the best autonomous driving system for American roads currently only ships on the Mercedes S-Class with integrated LiDAR, but it doesn’t exactly gel with the marketing messaging of autopilot for the everyman, does it?
The Future of BYD and Self-Driving
This move cements BYD as one of Tesla’s biggest competitor. They’re already outselling Tesla in global EV production, and now they’re rolling out mass-market self-driving tech.
Is it perfect? Too early to tell. Will it shake up the industry? It just might. I intend to watch this space closely to see what can be gleaned from test drive footage that is sure to proliferate on Youtube and RedNote.
And who knows, maybe in a few years, that Bond villain will be upgrading his lair with a BYD fleet.
