BYD with the world's first drone for electric vehicles

BYD with the world’s first drone for electric vehicles

– BYD announces cooperation with drone expert DJI
– The so-called Lingyuan system guarantees spectacular shots while driving
– Drone follows the vehicle at a speed of up to 54 km/h

BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of electrified vehicles, has launched a cooperation with drone expert DJI. The result is an innovative drone system that opens up new possibilities for vehicle owners. BYD unveiled the drone technology, named Lingyuan, at its headquarters in Shenzhen. The innovative system, which BYD is offering as an option, is currently intended exclusively for the Chinese market. Lingyuan is offered there in various models from BYD and other brands of the car manufacturer. The drone system, which is fully connected to the vehicle, is available in two versions: The Lingyuan Battery Swap edition, which was developed primarily for YANGWANG models, includes a DJI Mavic 3 drone. The Lingyuan Fast Charging Edition uses a specially adapted DJI AIR 3S drone. It is available for DENZA vehicles and selected BYD models. The special feature of the new technology is that the take-off and landing site for the drone, a so-called hangar, is located on the vehicle roof. Additional positioning modules, cameras and special mounts are part of the Lingyuan system, which allows take-offs and landings while driving at speeds of up to 25 km/h. Thanks to the follow-me function, the drone tracks the moving car at a speed of up to 54 km/h and returns to the vehicle from a distance of up to two kilometers at the touch of a button. In the hangar, the drone battery charges automatically from 20 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. The system also offers 30 presets and various algorithms. They make it possible to automatically generate high-quality driving shots with just one command. The areas of application are diverse and range from simple selfie shots to predictive route exploration and environmental exploration in rough terrain. The Lingyuan app developed by BYD facilitates drone operation thanks to its user-friendly interface and is fully integrated into the vehicle systems.

The retractable landing pad for the drone is available in two different versions, which are designed so that the vehicle height does not exceed 2.05 meters. On larger models, the hangar is recessed into the roof and on smaller vehicles it is mounted directly on top. It also has a 4K wide-angle camera that can be coupled with the drone’s 4K camera. This makes it possible to take pictures from two perspectives, which can also be edited in the Lingyuan app. “The collaboration between BYD and DJI is much more than just installing a drone in a car. We have developed the system from scratch to perfectly match the vehicle and drone,” says Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and CEO of BYD. “This synergy is a breakthrough that goes beyond the mere merging of different technologies.”

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