SHANGHAI – Huawei Technologies on Sunday launched five autopilot solutions, including one that runs on its HarmonyOS operating system.
The products, which will be mass-produced in cars to be developed jointly with carmakers later this year, are part of the telecommunications hardware company’s $ 1 billion investment in autonomous vehicle research and electric vehicles in 2021 to capture the growing demand for electricity in the world’s largest car market.
The launch was preceded by the unveiling of two versions of the Arcfox Alpha S, a premium electric vehicle developed on Saturday by Huawei’s smart car solutions business unit; and Arcfox, a state-controlled car manufacturer unit BAIC Group.
Both versions were also equipped with HarmonyOS, marking their debut in a vehicle in front of Huawei smartphones. Huawei has been developing HarmonyOS following US-imposed trade sanctions, which saw Huawei and other Chinese companies as national security risks. The Shenzhen-based company recently said Washington’s actions have hampered the company’s progress and caused a chip crisis affecting the global semiconductor industry.
“We have established extensive cooperation with about 200 global automobile manufacturers and industry partners,” Wang Jun, chairman of the smart car solutions unit, said Sunday. Wang leads a staff of 5,000 researchers, 2,000 of whom focus on automatic driving technologies.
Huawei will offer solutions to other people, but will not manufacture cars on its own, unlike rival Xiaomi. “If we can do it well in vehicle parts, why do we need to produce cars?” asked Wang, who explained that making cars is not necessarily a money winner.
Wang Jun, president of Huawei’s smart car solutions business, unveiled five “level 4” automated driving products on April 18th. (Photo courtesy of Huawei Technologies) © Huawei
The $ 1 billion investment reflects the company’s belief that smart vehicles with artificial intelligence will be the most disruptive industrial force in the next decade.
Huawei’s smart solutions focus on a new computing and communications architecture that controls driving, connectivity and the entertainment system, as well as cloud technology.
For example, the smart cabin running on the HarmonyOS can transform the windshield into a 70-inch high-definition screen, which allows passengers to watch movies, play games and video conferencing. It works like a smartphone ecosystem that allows users to connect to their favorite apps.
Huawei’s announcements were ahead of the 19th Shanghai Motor Show, which will open to the press on Monday and to the public later in the week. Both local and international car manufacturers are expected to introduce new models to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.
Led by US company Tesla and domestic rival Nio, sales of so-called new energy vehicles rose 11% to 1.37 million units in China in 2020, even when sales of cars here fell from 1.9% to 25.3 million units.
“There are 30 million vehicles in the Chinese market,” Xu Zhijun, Huawei’s current rotating president, told analysts last Monday.
“Even if we do not expand our vehicle business to foreign countries, we are still self-sustaining with the growing demand of the domestic market, with an average annual income of 10,000 yuan [$1,533] by car, “Xu said.” But surely Huawei is a global brand and will not just focus on the local market. “
Market research firm Canalys projected in February that Chinese electricity sales would grow by 51% this year. “But with Tesla expanding its portfolio in China, it will be difficult for competitors offering premium electric vehicles to gain market share,” Vice President Sandy Fitzpatrick said in a press release. “With that in mind, some Chinese carmakers are already looking for growth opportunities in other parts of the world, especially in Europe.”
Basic and high-end HI versions of Arcfox’s pure electric Alpha S crossover sport utility vehicle mark the mass production of a Huawei automated driving system. They feature lidar, radar-style light detection technology that is key to automating driving. A Huawei spokesman said the vehicles could reach level 3 or “conditional driven automation” on a scale where level 5 does not require any human interaction.
Priced at 388,900 yuan and 429,900 yuan, they carry the Huawei logo, in line with the diversification of the technology company’s portfolio beyond smartphones and 5G network devices. Vehicles can travel 708 km per recharge. The Tesla Model Y sells for about 350,000 yuan and has a range of 594 km.
In addition to BAIC Motor, Huawei is also partnering with two other state-controlled car manufacturers – Chongqing Changan Automobile and Guangzhou Automobile Group – to develop automated vehicles.