Road safety is a hot topic in China with news this week that a driver in China reportedly died while his Tesla car was operated under autopilot mode. So a new deal between security company Qihoo 360 and Didi Chuxing aims to gather more auto data to curb driving fatalities.
Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing reached a deal to install Qihoo 360's tachographs on Didi's premium cars. With this move, the two parties are expected to promote accident responsibility identification and evidence gathering for Internet hailed cars, regulate safe driving behaviors of drivers, and ensure road safety.
Qihoo 360 said that the cooperation between Qihoo 360 and Didi premium cars is a pilot project. By installing their tachographs on Didi premium cars, it will be easier and faster to identify accident responsibility and solve disputes between drivers and passengers. On the other hand, it will help enhance Didi's management of vehicle dynamics to improve its service quality.
According to Deng Qiuwei, president of Qihoo 360's car networking business, the two companies will explore cooperating opportunities of software and hardware customization in the future.
In addition, Deng revealed that the company's "360 OS for Car", which is designed for its vehicle hardware, will also be opened to Didi users. With continuous firmware upgrade, Didi car owners who install Qihoo 360's tachographs will gain more and more functions and services.
Financial terms of the Didi Chuxing and Qihoo 360 deal were not released.
In January 2016, a Tesla S driver named Gao Yaning crashed in China. Tesla says because of damage caused to the car and the dead man's relatives refusal to provide more evidence, it is unclear if Gao died while the Tesla was operating under autopilot.