Hankook Tire & Technology announced it will expand its collaboration with Baidu's autonomous RoboTaxi platform, Apollo Go, from four cities to ten on October 22.
As part of this partnership, Hankook will supply its electric vehicle-specific tire, the ION ST AS, for Apollo Go's self-driving vehicles operating in major cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Suzhou, Wuhan, Dongguan, Nanchang, and Sanya.
Hankook established a strategic partnership with Baidu in March 2022, initially supplying tires for Level 4 autonomous vehicles in Wuhan and Shenzhen while collecting operational data. The supply has since been gradually expanded to cities like Beijing and Chongqing.
The ION ST AS features a design specifically for electric vehicles and utilizes a 'producing compound' that supports high mileage performance. It reduces rolling resistance and enhances wear resistance, providing stable traction that lowers energy consumption and improves driving efficiency and tire lifespan.
The tire's performance is also tailored to different regional road and climate conditions. It offers reliable traction, handling stability, and ride comfort in diverse environments, including the high traffic and long-distance travel common in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the steep inclines and dense bridges, tunnels, and curves in Chongqing, and the heavy rainfall in Dongguan and Suzhou.
Beyond product supply, the two companies are collaborating on a system that connects 'vehicle-tire-road-cloud.' They plan to establish an intelligent management system for the ION ST AS's driving data, integrating it with Apollo Go's real-time air pressure monitoring and wear warning systems to enhance the operational efficiency and safety of autonomous vehicles.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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