Canoo Selects NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Xavier Platform for Future Electric Vehicles
- NVIDIA’s AI platform to power Canoo’s ADAS systems
- Production vehicles to hit the road in late 2021
- Canoo EVs designed to be adaptable for a software-defined, autonomous future
Los Angeles, CA — (May 14, 2020) — Canoo, a Los Angeles-based company creating electric vehicles (EVs) for membership only, announced today that it has selected the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Xavier™ AI compute platform for highly automated and autonomous driving features in its next-generation EV lineup.
The NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform underpins the smart driver-assistance features currently being tested in Canoo’s pre-production vehicles. Canoo aims to bring its first production vehicle to market with level 2 capabilities in late 2021, featuring the scalable NVIDIA DRIVE™ architecture built in to allow for more advanced autonomous driving capabilities as they become available.
Canoo will offer EVs with smart driver assistance features to enable safer driving with intelligent notification systems. Utilizing a driver-facing camera, the vehicle delivers alerts only when the driver needs them. Facial recognition technology enables the vehicle to tell when the driver is distracted or likely to need assistance. Other systems that alert the driver even when he or she is paying attention are often turned off or silenced, so Canoo’s adaptive system ensures that the driver gets the information they need, when they need it.
The NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform provides high-performance, energy-efficient compute for object detection and sensor fusion. State-of-the-art algorithms will inform the driver on what’s around the vehicle, including cross-traffic alerts, blind spot detection and pedestrian detection, as well as convenience features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-centering control. The software-defined platform also allows for more advanced features, like auto lane change, traffic light recognition and evasive steering to be introduced when they become available.
The NVIDIA DRIVE AGX self-driving compute platform is built on NVIDIA Xavier™, the world’s first processor designed for autonomous driving. The auto-grade Xavier system-on-a-chip (SoC) is in production today and architected for safety, incorporating six different types of processors to run redundant and diverse algorithms for AI, sensor processing, mapping and driving. Leveraging Xavier, DRIVE AGX platforms process data from camera, lidar, radar and ultrasonic sensors to understand the complete 360-degree environment in real time, localize itself to a map and plan a safe path forward.
“We have been working diligently to develop a bold new electric vehicle and partnering with NVIDIA, a global AI leader, is a natural choice,” said David Arft, in charge of Systems Integration for Canoo. “NVIDIA’s platform delivers the computing horsepower our neural networks need, as well as the scalable solution we want to provide.”
NVIDIA DRIVE also has the flexibility and scalability to deliver on the promise of Canoo’s autonomous driving roadmap. As developments in regulations, software-defined capabilities and hardware continue to make autonomy features more accessible to the mass market, Canoo will be able to deploy higher-level features on the same computing system. Canoo is offering its vehicles through a month-to-month membership model, and as such, will own the vehicles for their entire viable lives, implementing periodic updates as more features become available.
“Canoo’s futuristic vehicles and unique subscription offerings require a robust, scalable solution,” said Rishi Dhall, vice president of automotive at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA DRIVE enables automotive innovators like Canoo to develop and deploy safe and reliable highly automated and autonomous software-defined EVs.”
Canoo’s spacious EV is based upon its proprietary skateboard technology and provides maximum interior space with a compact exterior footprint.
About Canoo
Canoo is a Los Angeles based company creating and offering unique electric vehicles (EV) for subscription only. Canoo’s first vehicle will launch in late 2021 and was designed for a world in which transportation is becoming increasingly electric, shared and autonomous. Canoo is challenging the traditional way of building, offering and using vehicles based on a threefold approach:
A new business model that focuses on reducing production and infrastructure costs to make EVs more affordable to customers. A bold design capitalizing on the space EV technology affords, catering to the needs of today's consumers. A subscription model that puts an end to ownership, providing a hassle- and commitment free car experience in modern cities.
Founded in December 2017 by a group of experienced automotive engineers and executives, the Canoo team has since been complemented by various experts from successful tech and car companies. Today, Canoo has grown to around 300+ employees – covering the entire value chain, bringing together a unique EV with a unique business model for a unique user experience.
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