Less than a month after its official announcement, there is new news about the "Zhiji Auto" jointly built by SAIC, Pudong New Area and Alibaba Group.
On December 14, according to Future Auto Daily, Zhiji Automobile is cooperating with CATL to develop "silicon-doped lithium-replenished battery cell" technology. The two parties will share technology patents and collaborate to complete various rigorous vehicle tests. In the future, they will be the first to apply this battery technology globally and mass-produce power batteries equipped with this technology.
Liu Tao, deputy leader of Zhiji Automobile’s preparatory team, said that the energy density of this battery will be 30%-40% higher than the current industry-leading level.
It can achieve a maximum range of about 1,000km. Battery life, zero attenuation for 200,000 kilometers. Due to cost reasons, products with a range of about 1,000km will be gradually introduced to the market in the next five years.
"Zhiji Auto" is a new electric vehicle brand jointly created by SAIC, Alibaba and Pudong New Area. It was officially announced on November 26 this year. The three parties jointly invested in the founding round of financing of Zhiji Automobile, and the total investment scale reached tens of billions.
“Due to cost reasons, products with a range of about 1,000km will be gradually introduced to the market in the next five years.” Liu Tao further added that this battery will be assembled through optimization of cell material formulas and patented Technical heat insulation and flame retardant, as well as all-cast aluminum battery pack shell packaging technology, combined with BMS terminal and cloud collaborative management, ensure battery safety.
In terms of the implementation of autonomous driving, Liu Tao said that as long as safety regulations permit, Zhiji Auto’s automatic valet parking function is expected to be available in some business districts in Shanghai by the end of 2021. It will be launched and expanded to other first-tier cities and new first-tier cities in 2022.
At the end of 2021, Zhiji Auto will also realize Door to Door
Pilot (autonomous driving from home to work or business district) function, which will integrate intelligent parking in and out, urban wisdom Navigation, high-speed smart navigation and other technologies. It is expected that these functions will cover most roads in first-tier cities in the first half of 2022.
In terms of vehicle charging, Liu Tao revealed that
Zhiji Auto will be equipped with wireless charging technology on its first product, with a maximum power of 11kW. After the user gets off the car, he can use the mobile phone APP to let the vehicle automatically park for passengers. The vehicle will automatically find a parking space that can be wirelessly charged. After parking in the parking space, it will automatically replenish energy. "Charging efficiency is close to wired charging."
According to a report by Shanghai Automobile News in November,
Zhiji Auto’s first product will be a sedan, which is expected to be on the road in 2021. In addition to cars, Zhiji Automobile also plans SUVs and concept cars. Liu Tao told Future Auto Daily that the currently planned products focus on pure electric vehicles and do not involve hybrid products.
It is understood that the data-driven center and intelligent driving center of Zhiji Auto, together with the user operation center and brand operation center, are all located in the core area of ??Zhangjiang Intelligent Park. The office is located in Zhangjiang Intelligent Park C position. Adjacent to the famous Alibaba "Pingtou Ge" Semiconductor Co., Ltd. and many domestic cutting-edge technology innovation companies, Zhiji Auto will also be the first technology innovation company to settle in the "Gate of Science" in Zhangjiang, Shanghai in the future, enjoying location advantages, policies, land, and talents Waiting for dividends.
Being adjacent to many domestic and foreign innovation giants not only creates a good innovation atmosphere for Zhiji Auto, but also provides it with excellent talent reserves and industry-leading cooperation resources. These are the advantages of other car companies. Especially conditions that start-ups do not have.
In addition, in the planning of Pudong New Area, new energy vehicles will become an important pillar industry in the future. By 2025, the total output value of the automobile industry in Pudong New Area will reach 450 billion yuan, and the industrial scale will double. Energy vehicle sales accounted for 30%. Therefore, Zhiji Auto has settled in Zhangjiang, Pudong, and will surely receive support from a series of favorable policies in the future.
At present, there are more than 200 members of the Zhiji Automobile project, half of whom are from within SAIC Group. Regarding the use of the first round of RMB 10 billion in financing, Liu Tao said that Zhiji Auto will focus on product and technological innovation, focusing on building core capabilities in the three main areas of brand, product research and development, and digital channels.
In addition, Zhiji Auto's focus is on building the core capabilities of a data-driven center. Through in-depth cooperation with Alibaba DAMO Academy, it will explore innovative technologies such as AI artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and mine and deeply analyze user big data.