Chinese SUV uses poster brakes to simulate a fake accident and causes a real accident

The Li Auto L9 was hit from behind after the AEB system was tricked by an advertising board with two delivery vans and initiated an emergency stop

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A Li Auto L9 recently learned the hard way on a Chinese highway that its “safety systems” have a blind spot the size of a billboard. The flagship SUV was not hit from behind because the driver slammed on the brakes, but because the on-board technology mistook a billboard with two delivery vans (spaced across the road) for real vehicles.

The Li Auto L9 is equipped with a whole host of driver assistance systems, including radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras and an advanced lidar mounted just above the windshield. While all the hardware is there, it seems the Chinese automaker’s engineers still have a lot of work to do to refine the software so that it can accurately distinguish between advertisements and real vehicles.

Watch: Li Auto’s L9 SUV proves that the Chinese are really on the road to success

The driver of the SUV stated that after the L9 detected the billboard, the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system was triggered, which performed an emergency stop and brought the vehicle to a stop from a speed of 77 km/h (48 mph).

While the driver narrowly managed to avoid a collision with the guardrail on the side of the G70 expressway, the SUV was hit from behind by another vehicle. The damage was not too extensive and can probably be repaired with just a new bumper and tailgate.

Such “phantom braking” is not uncommon in vehicles with semi-autonomous driver assistance systems, but this is the first time we’ve heard of a car being confused by a billboard. The driver of the L9 reportedly demanded 20,000 yuan ($2,756) in compensation from Li Auto for the incident.

As The Autopian reported, Li Auto issued a statement to Chinese media saying it would offer the owner 4,000 yuan (about $550) in cash, but a final agreement has not yet been reached. Li Auto acknowledged that “the system misidentifies an advertising image as a vehicle” and stated that “the software system is being improved.”

While I haven’t driven the Li Auto L9, I’ve driven many cars with AEB systems that freak out when another car is designed to do so, such as when a parked car is near a bend you’re approaching. It’s a disconcerting experience and shows that such systems, while important, aren’t perfect.