After a successful debut of BAIC EV’s new i-link™, the first Chinese system to apply 4G technology to the interaction between telematics and a cloud platform, at the Consumer Electronic Show held in Las Vegas, the company has established a new R&D center in Detroit, Michigan.
BAIC EV, a leading brand within China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, has established a new R&D center in Detroit, Michigan, which will help the company evaluate overseas market demand, obtain core EV technology, build on brand influence, and eventually provide support for their international layout. This new R&D center, the second for the company in the United States, followed a successful debut of BAIC EV’s i-link™ Intelligent & Connected System (U.S. version), the first Chinese system to apply 4G technology to the interaction between telematics and a cloud platform.
The i-link™ is the first system in China equipped with voice identification technology, an information recreational system, and a unified ultra-large information board in the cabin. It is also tailored for digitalized green driving information system, wireless charging equipment for mobile phones, and enables drivers to access services like remote inquiry, examination, control and early warning systems. To revolutionize telematics, which is limited to primary integration with the internet, BAIC EV has made a major breakthrough in triggering the interaction among various sensing technologies and internet resources to provide a smart solution for users.
Opened January 8 in Detroit, a city known worldwide for automobile manufacturing and home to companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler’s, BAIC EV’s new R&D center provides an independent research base as well as an integration platform and optimal resources for in-depth development. BAIC EV will strive to reach the core of the automobile and IT industries while working to become a world-class EV brand and maintaining its leading status in China.
“In the future, top electric drive systems are bound to support the intelligent and concrete development of our new control technologies,” says Zheng Gang, the general manager of BAIC EV.
The Detroit R&D Center will work closely with the other centers in Silicon Valley and Aachen, Germany, and integrate quality resources in battery, motor, and vehicle development and design, composing a world-leading EV value chain. It will work to develop advanced technologies in motor drives, power electronics and intelligent control, while introducing high-end talents and facilitating the cooperation of automotive R&D in North America.
In addition, the center will introduce advanced technologies and development to China, as well as bring Chinese EV products to the world with the aid of local resources. As Zheng Gang said, “The strategic vision of BAIC EV is set not only on China, but also on the international stage of EVs.” The establishment of the Detroit R&D Center symbolizes China’s EV industry’s attempt to tap into the international market and become a communication platform for cutting-edge technology. It will also serve as an opportunity for BAIC EV and China’s EV industry to access top technologies and expand their overseas market.
The Detroit R&D Center will run relatively independently to ensure that the technologies developed are the most advanced in order to become a world-class research center of EV technology and products. BAIC EV will combine its present research resources with the quality information from renowned motor companies, universities and research institutes to develop electric drive power train and highly integrated power train. BAIC EV intends to consolidate and improve its R&D capability, technology strength, and talent competitiveness in the process to provide a strong intelligent and technological support for future development.
