Major Automaker Signs Virtual Testing Deal for Self-Driving Cars

Leading Chinese automaker Geely has signed a deal with Israel’s Foretellix aimed at accelerating the development of autonomous vehicles (AVs).

The Guangzhou company will use Tel Aviv-based Foretellix’s AI training and validation solution to reduce development costs, enhance safety and improve time to market.

The platform – known as Foretify – will be integrated with Geely’s “verification and validation” (V&V) system and also its advanced simulator.

This will enable synthetic data to be generated for AI training, automated scenario-based virtual tests, measuring coverage of Operational Design Domains and assessment of performance.

Foretify will analyze driving logs from Geely’s test vehicles, allowing numerous different scenarios to be replayed in virtual simulation. It is claimed to be particularly useful in retesting anomalous road incidents virtually – which could help AVs to be better able to cope with unexpected situations.

The deal constitutes a decent win for Foretellix, as Geely has emerged as one of the most significant Chinese automakers.

Known officially as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, its family of brands achieved vehicle sales of 2.79 million in 2023, a rise of 20% year on year and a new record for the group.

Its stable includes familiar European names such as Volvo, Lotus, Smart and Polestar, as well as Geely Auto, LYNK & Co and Zeekr.

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ChuanHai Li, vice president of Geely research and development, said the deal was a significant one, explaining: “The Foretellix solution will expedite and enhance Geely’s development and validation process. 

“It will enable us to ensure proper ODD coverage, quickly identify unknown corner cases and resolve them more efficiently. Our partnership with Foretellix will be crucial in Geely’s quest to overcome safety challenges and commercialize AVs faster.”

Past experience shows that Geely is not slow in exploiting AV partnerships across its empire, as demonstrated by a deal with another Israeli company, Mobileye, to use its driver-assistance and self-driving tech on a number of brands.

For Foretellix, the partnership is another positive step after securing an $85 million series C round of funding in December. Its investors include Japanese commercial vehicle maker Isuzu, U.S. chipmaker Nvidia and Volvo.

Just a month after confirming the new investment, it had secured a deal to provide virtual testing for U.S. company Nuro’s self-driving delivery vehicles.

“We look forward to working with Geely and helping them accelerate their strategy for safe, efficient and cost-effective autonomy,” said Ziv Binyamini, Foretellix CEO and co-founder.

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