SAIC to unveil hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

China’s largest automaker SAIC Motor, one of the strategic partners of the 2020 Pujiang Innovation Forum, is focusing on technology innovation to enhance its competitiveness in the auto industry.

The company said it will continue to promote the development of industry trends, accelerate the integration of technology and the real economy and make greater contributions to Shanghai’s construction of a technological innovation center with global influence.

This year, the automaker is bringing its hydrogen fuel cell multi-purpose vehicle to the forum. The Maxus EUNIQ 7 is equipped with the company’s newly developed third-generation fuel cell system.

Roewe’s luxury multi-purpose vehicle — the iMAX8 — and the MG-branded SUV — Linghang — are also being unveiled, representing the technology and innovation of Shanghai manufacturing.

Fuel cell vehicles have become an important part of China’s new-energy vehicle strategy.

SAIC Motor aims to turn out 10 fuel cell vehicles to claim a more than 10 percent market share by 2025. Sales of SAIC’s fuel cell systems are expected to exceed 30,000 by 2025 and this would make the carmaker a leading company in the field.

SAIC has research and development capabilities for the three technical routes of “pure electricity, plug-in electricity and fuel cell.” From January to September, its new-energy vehicle sales reached 40,000, a jump of 223.8 percent year on year.

SAIC Motor is also focusing on the development of intelligent network technology. Early in 2016, it cooperated with Alibaba to launch a new category of Internet cars and so far has sold more than 2 million vehicles.

This year, SAIC’s “5G+L4” smart heavy duty trucks began commercial operations at Yangshan Deep-water Port in Shanghai. With the help of 5G and L4-level unmanned driving technology, it plans to transport 20,000 standard containers within the year. It is expected to double the traffic capacity of the Donghai Bridge.

With a focus on software development, SAIC Motor has established a software center and an artificial intelligence lab this year and is actively building a talent pool in the field of intelligent networks. By integrating innovative achievements in software research and development departments and subordinate enterprises, the company will accelerate in-depth integration and development of intelligent network technologies and promote the implementation and application of projects with high quality and efficiency.

In the second half of the year, SAIC Motor said it will ensure stable and orderly production and operation, strengthen economic operation resilience and continue to focus on technology development to provide strong support for starting a new round of innovative development.