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China Transportation Technology

Chinese Automaker Launches Remote-Control Family Car 130

Posted by timothy from the drug-resistant-featuritus dept.
cylonlover writes "When we think of remote control cars, we generally think of scaled-down vehicles that can easily get caught up underfoot. Not so Chinese automaker BYD, which has upsized the remote control car with the release of its Su Rui model in China. The mid-size family saloon that seats five includes Remote Driving Control technology that allows the driver to get out of the car and drive it using the included remote control 'key.'"
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Chinese Automaker Launches Remote-Control Family Car More

Chinese Automaker Launches Remote-Control Family Car

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  • Does it come with a spittoon and those rickety, swinging wooden doors?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jhoegl ( 638955 )
      and some sarsaparilla!

    • Sedan (Score:5, Funny)

      by tepples ( 727027 ) <.tepples. .at. .gmail.com.> on Saturday August 25, 2012 @12:04AM (#41119983) Homepage Journal
      "Saloon" is a term used in some English-speaking countries for what people in other English-speaking countries call a "sedan": a passenger automobile with four doors.

      • Re:Sedan (Score:5, Funny)

        by Grayhand ( 2610049 ) on Saturday August 25, 2012 @01:53AM (#41120413)

        "Saloon" is a term used in some English-speaking countries for what people in other English-speaking countries call a "sedan": a passenger automobile with four doors.

        Those of us in the United States don't consider the English "English Speaking". Saloon is where you go to toss back a few after a hard day of work. Confusing a car with a place to get hammered after work may explain why the English drive on the wrong side of the road.

        • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

          by Anonymous Coward

          > Those of us in the United States don't consider the English "English Speaking".
          Look in the mirror as the rest of the world often have that opinion of the USA, e.g:

          Football = In 99.9% of the world a game involving a round ball being kicked around... in USA - doh!!!

          Bathroom = In 99.9% of the world a room where you go to shower, wash with water.... in USA room where you go empty your body of fluids etc - doh!

          You are welcome to stick to "American English", meanwhile the rest of global world will continue t

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Anonymous Coward

            Do note that "it's own thing" is a mistake in both types of English.

          • Americans... doh!!!

            Mind you, I am siding with the Brits, drinkers of warm beer. But at least their beer has some taste.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Anonymous Coward

            >greentexting on slashdot

          • Your last paragraph made me realize that I have a very lose grip on the English language. Actually, not really, but your blatant misuse of such a simple word by such an obvious language nazi has me absolutely loosing my shit.

            • Your last paragraph made me realize that I have a very lose grip on the English language. Actually, not really, but your blatant misuse of such a simple word by such an obvious language nazi has me absolutely losing my shit.

              Fixed it for you.

              • Maybe you should fix the mistake I was poking fun at in the post to which I was replying... or, since you may still not have heard the "WOOSH!", maybe fix both of the purposeful mistakes I made (again, purposefully) in the post you're attempting to (incorrectly) correct?

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

                That was sarcasm, Sheldon. Notice that he used both "lose" and "loose" incorrectly? Pretty obvious that it was deliberate.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by HArchH ( 1450843 )

            Wow. Ouch. Oh my. That really puts us in our place. Not. Now I have to go to the bathroom and take a dump during halftime of the NFL football game. Jets vs Panthers. Great stuff.

            You guys got nothing worth going back to except some nice beers. Glad the Frogs/Dutch people bought that Bud swill off our hands.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

            Bathroom = In 99.9% of the world a room where you go to shower, wash with water.... in USA room where you go empty your body of fluids etc

            Wrong. American bathrooms have bath tubs, showers, sinks, and toilets. When there's no tub or shower (as in a restaraunt) it's not called a bathroom, it's called a rest room. Why it's called that I don't know. In Britain it's called a "loo", silly sounding slang word. I wonder where it came from. Here there are also other slang words for bathroom/rest room: the john, the

          • OK limey POMs, roll yourself up in a dooner (what, you don't know what a dooner is, darn, I thought the rest of the world spoke only POMlish?) and hide under the bed, cause the rest of the world all started with one or another of the various Britishes from one of the wide variety of types of spoken English on that tiny little island. But we have all GROWN UP, unlike you poor sodden wrecks. English, International English as you want to term it, is not the property of England, India, South Africa, Liberia, Ni

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward

          Saloon is where you go to toss back a few after a hard day of work.

          Seriously? If I told my friends we were going to the "saloon" for drinks they'd laugh and tell me to stop watching bad Italian westerns.

          • Saloon is where you go to toss back a few after a hard day of work.

            Seriously? If I told my friends we were going to the "saloon" for drinks they'd laugh and tell me to stop watching bad Italian westerns.

            I live in a Wild West town in the 19th century, you insensitive clod!

            Er, anyway, this "remote control car" idea isn't that big a deal in technological terms. I'm pretty sure that car manufacturers *could* technically have done this 20 years ago if it had been considered a good idea. I suspect it's more reflective of a cultural difference between China and other markets.

            I must admit I was going to jokingly say "What could possibly go wrong?" due to theft and safety concerns, but the fact it's limited to

            • And Detroit could have made compact fuel efficient cars to 20 years before the Japanese introduced them. How is Detroit doing anyway, still a hot bed of technology development and the beating heart of American industrial might?

              First the Chinese made cars that were crap, then they made them not so good but very cheap, now they are adding gadgets while still being dirt cheap. Next step? Bye bye Detroit. Japan had to always keep America at peace to keep its protection from China. Who does China need protection

              • You read more into my comment than was actually there. It wasn't a dismissal of the home-grown Chinese car industry- on the contrary, I'm not stupid. It's obvious that in the next decade it's likely to mature and present significant competition to the rest of the world.

                But although it would impress many people (because it's never been done commercially in the West) having a remote controllable car *in itself* isn't anything that's technologically cutting edge. Remote control systems have been negligible-

                • the (more interesting) question as to *why* it hasn't been done commercially beforehand when it has likely been technologically possible for quite some time now

                  Answer: The fear of tort liability that pervades the U.S. consumer products market.

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by HArchH ( 1450843 )

              It's so you can drive the kids off a cliff or into a lake without personal risk.

          • But ... weren't the best of the bad westerns filmed in the East.

            Of Spain.

            By an Italian director.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

            Before Prohibition, there were no bars, taverns, or pubs in the US; there were saloons. No respectable woman would step foot in one. It wasn't just "bad Italian westerns," any western that didn't have a saloon wasn't very accurate (but then again, how many outhouses do you see in old westerns?)

            Prohibition closed the saloons, and speakeasies opened. Unlike saloons, women did indeed go there. Before prohibition, the few women who drank did so in secret.

            After prohibition, we had bars, pubs, and taverns. This b

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rossdee ( 243626 )

          In some parts of the world they even race saloon cars. (And its not boring because they have a variety of corners on the track, unlike NASCAR oval tracks.

          IMHO the best saloon car race in the world is at Bathurst, NSW , Australia in October, 1000KM around Mt Panorama in V8 Fords and Holdens.

      • No, no, no. You got it backwards. "Sedan" is what people in some isolated countries call what the entire civilized world knows as "Saloon".

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Meshach ( 578918 )

      Does it come with a spittoon and those rickety, swinging wooden doors?

      Saloon also means sedan (car) [wikipedia.org] in Britain and Australia.

    • Does it come with a spittoon and those rickety, swinging wooden doors?

      Your sophistication amazes me

  • Just keep it off the bridges [bbc.co.uk]

  • Warren Buffett Owns 10% of that BYD.

  • thinking of bumping someone off? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24, 2012 @11:52PM (#41119919)

    So no more need for a brick on the accelerator

  • Legality? (Score:3)

    by Balthisar ( 649688 ) on Saturday August 25, 2012 @12:01AM (#41119973) Homepage

    I wonder if this is legal in the USA. I suppose that's not an issue, since it's presumably only available in China.

    I live in China. These guys are already the worst drivers in the world. I wonder how many people they'll injure with remote controlled cars?

    On the other hand, they are truly horrendous drivers (as mentioned), and they don't know how to back up (that's a gross generalization, but it's mostly true). Chinese drivers regularly make backing into a parking space a 10 point maneuver. Just maybe this thing can make them better (quicker) at parking at the Ikea or Metro.

    • Re:Legality? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25, 2012 @12:43AM (#41120123)

      we know how to back up, we back up on the highway all the time whenever we miss an exit.

    • I bet they're just screaming for a Baidu self driving car.

    • I was going to say they knew how to parallel park quite well. But you said they can't back up, which is I guess why these Chinese parallel park the fast way [vimeo.com] instead...

    • I live in Phoenix, AZ so no they aren't the worst drivers on the road.

    • I wonder if this is legal in the USA. I suppose that's not an issue, since it's presumably only available in China.

      China has nothing to do with it. Legality isn't an issue in the USA because here the cars are used to combat criminals who operate above the law. [youtube.com]

    • Just maybe this thing can make them better (quicker) at parking at the Ikea or Metro.

      I kind of doubt that. Controlling a vehicle by remote control requires the brain to continuously transpose one three-dimensional perspective onto another one. If anything, they'll misjudge their turns and distances more often. And that keyfob looks too small to house a video camera, so I'm not sure how they'll avoid smashing into stuff behind or in front of them...whether that be a pole or a little kid.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by adolf ( 21054 )

        At a paltry 1.2 MPH maximum speed, you can easily pace the car on foot and see exactly what is around it with your own eyes, which may be safer than trusting blind spots. Anyone who had a toy radio controlled car as a kid would find this thing ridiculously easy to move around, especially at such speeds as this.

        It is certainly mountains easier than operating a JLG with a knuckle-boom, and everyone I've thrown into one of those gets it figured out fairly quickly.

        That said, the only thing that seems useful ab

  • Video? Yep (Score:5, Informative)

    by TopSpin ( 753 ) on Saturday August 25, 2012 @12:14AM (#41120025) Journal

    Not sure why the 'gizmag' photos-only link is offered when you can watch video of it over here [autoblog.com].

    The think actually springs a leak in the video. I'd like to see the longer version were it catches fire. :)

    • Funny seeing it's leaking already, in a nice controlled arc at 2 mph. Floor was so clean too. I thought the remote controls on air conditioners were weird too, but so useful for high or odd spots. This RC park / un-park may be standard in 10 years.

      • Looks like it's the air conditioner drain, but don't let that stop you getting your Jingoism on ;-)

    • Not sure why the 'gizmag' photos-only link is offered when you can watch video of it over here [autoblog.com].

      The think actually springs a leak in the video. I'd like to see the longer version were it catches fire. :)

      I thought you were joking, then I watched the clip :/

      • It looks like it's just water from the air conditioner...

        http://www.motorpoint.com.au/car-air-conditioning-system.asp [motorpoint.com.au]

        5. Dont worry about a pool of water forming under your car after using the A/C

        If you see a puddle of water on the ground, usually under the passenger area dont be alarmed. This is a normal feature of the system as it is only water dripping from the air conditioning evaporator. The evaporator has a drain tube fitted to allow the condensation from the evaporator to drain away from the vehicle.

        • AC condensation was also my first guess upon reading the comment.
          After I watched the video, I'm thinking motor oil. AC's don't make trails like that (too much liquid), and the liquid appeared to be rather dark.
          The leak is also coming from the center line of the car, not off to the side like your quoted text suggests.

    • The think actually springs a leak in the video. I'd like to see the longer version were it catches fire. :)

      This looks like a bit newer model, but sadly you were right: The remote control car is prone to experience mild explosions. [youtube.com]

  • Father drives family off cliff (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Using the latest in Chinese ingenuity to remotely drive your family off a cliff...

    Why else would this be useful? Just use the steering wheel.

  • Terrorist's wet dream (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Load the car up with explosives and/or containers of gasoline. Modify the controller and receiver to work from a few miles away. Remote control near the target of choice.

    No need for suicide bombers, is basically untraceable post-factum and a car filled with explosives can make one hell of an explosion.

  • Might be useful if combined with parking assist (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Saturday August 25, 2012 @12:55AM (#41120161) Homepage

    If the vehicle had the sensors for parking assist, this could be useful. It's a relatively large car, and with this, you could put it into a compact car space. Parking spaces in major Chinese cities are very expensive and hard to obtain, so there's real value in being able to use a smaller one.

  • Remote Speed Limit 1.2mph (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Sounds like its for parking the car. Also has a remote climate control to precondition the saloon. Sounds pretty good to me.

  • What could possibly go wrong here? (Score:3)

    by dutchwhizzman ( 817898 ) on Saturday August 25, 2012 @01:15AM (#41120257)
    Nobody thought this could be turned into a guided missile, have they? It won't take more than a few weeks before some robber will drive it through the front of some store to get inside.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Sure, sure. And chemistry kits can be used by terrorists for... evil. So let's make every object illegal.

      • Sure, sure. And chemistry kits can be used by terrorists for... evil. So let's make every object illegal.

        Here in the US, thanks to the patent system which restricts not only distribution but also merely the use of "inventions" everything is already illegal; From being square [totallyabsurd.com] to holding your breath [totallyabsurd.com], keeping your chin up [totallyabsurd.com], being repressed [totallyabsurd.com] or even just having one's ass in a sling. [totallyabsurd.com]

        If everything you do is breaking some law, who cares what law new technologies might break?

    • It only goes about 1 Km/h with the remote. It's not much of a missile.

    • At two miles per hour it will take a couple of weeks before the robber manages to drive through the store.

  • Less space than a nomad. [wikimedia.org]
    Lame.

  • affordable (Score:3)

    by swell ( 195815 ) <jabberwock@poetic.com> on Saturday August 25, 2012 @02:14AM (#41120513)

    No comments on the $10k price? After all it is something of a luxury car.

    Is it due to cheap labor? Substandard parts? Government subsidies?

    Or is it because of an appalling shortage of lawyers?

    • No comments on the $10k price? After all it is something of a luxury car.

      Is it due to cheap labor? Substandard parts? Government subsidies?

      Or is it because of an appalling shortage of lawyers?

      Due to the toy factory nearby?

    • That was one of the first things I noticed. Same car would cost $20-25k in the US. And I'm probably low-balling that.

  • Like... committing murders that cannot be traced back to you!

    "Gee, officer, I guess somebody had the same code on their remote. Or maybe it was radio interference from a passing Google Streetmapper. I sure didn't mean for the car to pull forward from its parking space to squash that old lady. By they way... why is she carrying that Uzi?"

  • and off the cliff it goes! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    This remote control car thing is just asking for trouble

  • This is great news for terrorists - remote controlled car bombs. Now, why didn't someone else think of this any sooner...
  • Seen on the bumper sticker of a mountain biker: "If Huffy made a plane would you fly in it?"

  • It could be an endless source of YouTube "FAIL" videos.

  • Now you can have a car accident where you're both the driver and the pedestrian!

  • Actually I want two of them. One at 27MHz and one at 54MHz so that I can drive them at the same time!

  • 007 had one back in 1997 and it was a BMW

  • FTA: ...remotely controlling the car is perfect for squeezing into parking spaces that are too tight to allow the doors to open once parked...

    My question: how do the drivers of the two cars around yours squeeze into them when they are back ? That looks like a great way to come back to a fancy remote controlled *keyed* car.

  • This should open up a huge market in some unhappy parts of the world. I wonder what the remote's range is?

    Just sayin'

    Toad

  • ... you're gonna see some serious shit.

  • If the owner can remote control the car, so will the state:

    "Escaping dissident's vehicle drives him to prison."

    "Dissident's vehicle drives him into a tree, killing him."

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