Baidu’s DeepWay Xingtu Electric Truck Has A 450 kWh Battery And Level 4 Autonomy

Chinese internet giant Baidu is looking to boost its presence in the automotive industry with the launch of the Xingtu, an all-electric heavy-duty truck with advanced autonomous features that’s been designed by Pininfarina.

The Xingtu has been launched through Baidu’s DeepWay subsidiary and has a particularly low coefficient of drag of 0.35. DeepWay notes that it is equipped with a massive 450 kWh battery pack and at a full load of 49 tons, can travel up to 300 km (186 miles) on a single charge. The company adds that the battery can be recharged in just one hour and also supports battery swapping, where a new battery can be fitted in just six minutes.

In terms of autonomy, Baidu has equipped the truck with its Highway Intelligence System that includes 11 onboard cameras, one infrared detector, five millimeter-wave radars, and a LiDAR sensor. It has also been designed to offer end-to-end autonomous driving.

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The exterior design of the truck immediately catches the eye because of how sleek it is compared to every other truck currently on the market. Found up front are a set of vertical headlights complemented by an LED light bar stretching the width of the fascia. The truck has also been equipped with a pair of tiny wing mirrors and a wraparound windshield.

Further aiding in the low coefficient of drag are the covers over the front wheels and the fact that all other wheels are covered by the bodywork. The rear of the trailer also attracts attention thanks to an LED taillights stretching around the outer edge of the retracting door.

Pininfarina has also designed an interior and it’s unlike any other truck. For starters, the Xingtu has a two-spoke steering wheel sitting directly in front of a large screen stretching the width of the dashboard. The truck also features small screens in the door handles, screens on the A-pillars, and a screen above the windshield. A second-row bench seat is also featured.

According to DeepWay’s plan, the Xingtu is expected to start mass production in June 2023 and deliver around 1,000 units in the same year. The company added that it will continue to “focus on R&D and manufacturing of smart new energy heavy-duty trucks and promote the commercialization of L4 autonomous driving technology in the China truck freight industry in the coming years.”

Update: Pininfarina and Deepway reached out to us and said that the Xingtu will begin production in July of 2023.