China Automobile Industry, Technology (NEV, Driverless, etc): News & Images

[TaiShang]

Chinese families with more kids look to MPV
July 22, 2016

Sedans may no longer be the automobile of choice for Chinese families who believe they need more seats to fit in more family members now that the one-child policy is a thing of the past.

At an ongoing auto expo in northeastern Chinese city Changchun this week, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) and seven-seat SUVs are the stars of the show.

At the Toyota booth, its Highlander SUV is the most sought-after model. A sales assistant told Xinhua that the seven-seat model outsells the five-seat.

Supply of the model in Changchun is unable to meet demand. The earliest delivery of the model is the end of the year, at a 30,000 yuan premium over the original price.

"Many buyers are newly-weds looking for more spacious vehicle to fit their children and parents," said Wang Wei of Mercedes-Benz.

Domestic automakers are launching budget MPVs.

"The MPV could grow into a sizable segment of the auto market in countries where there are two or more kids in the family. China is getting there as couples are allowed to have two children." said Li Wei of Dongfeng Yueda Kia, the Korean automaker's joint venture in China.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, MPV sales grew by 10 percent last year to 2.1 million. During H1, sales growth accelerated to 18 percent.

"MPV could be the new 'car of choice' for the average Chinese family," Mercedes-Benz's Wang said.

 

[TaiShang]

13th China Changchun Int'l Auto Expo closes
(Xinhua) 14:59, July 25, 2016



CHANGCHUN, July 24, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Visitors look at a car of Mazda Motor during the 13th China Changchun International Auto Expo in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, July 24, 2016. The expo closed on Sunday, with 29,432 cars sold in the last 10 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

CHANGCHUN, July 24, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Visitors look at a car of Subaru during the 13th China Changchun International Auto Expo in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, July 24, 2016. The expo closed on Sunday, with 29,432 cars sold in the last 10 days. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

 

[cirr]

China’s Future Mobility Promises Self-Driving Electric Car By 2020

2 days ago by Eric Loveday


Tencent


Foxconn – Hon Hai

China’s Tencent and Hon Hai are the backers of automotive venture Future Mobility, a company that now says it’ll enter the electric car market with a self-driving car by 2020.

Future Mobility initially began as a venture that would take aim at Tesla by offering high-end electric cars. The start-up automaker has since back down from that stance and now says it’ll focus more mass production of several models that are more on the aoffrdable side.

As Reuters states:

“Although the venture sought to produce premium cars like Tesla, it would attempt a different strategy from the US company that began with relatively limited production and focuses on a single model at a time, CEO Carsten Breitfeld said in an interview.”

“Right from the beginning we define the platform, right from the beginning we define the production process to be mass production and right from the beginning we think of more than one model, a family of models, defined from this platform,” Breitfeld said, defining mass production as 250,000 to 400,000 cars annually.”

So, it seems Future Mobility wants to jump straight to producing a field of vehicles that could compete with the Tesla Model 3.

But Future Mobility is nowhere near beginning production on any electric car at this point in time. The start-up automaker is still in the opening phase of collecting funding, but no terms have been disclosed.

Several Chinese start ups are all claiming to be in the opening phases of designing electric cars for the worldwide market. Only a couple, if any, will ever succeed.

Reuters adds:

“Future Mobility is not the first upstart automaker to make bold pronouncements. Chinese-invested Atieva aims to launch an electric car by 2018.”

“LeEco says its proposed smart electric cars will eventually be free, making money on in-car content and other services.”

“But Future Mobility stands out from its competitors for poaching its leadership away from big-name tech and autos companies.”

Yet none of these automakers have a car on the road for public consumption yet, and there are few, if any, actual committed dates announced for launching these electric cars for the publi.

Source: Reuters

 

[TaiShang]

BYD bus on Show in Paris: First 16 vehicles sold, RATP trial, complete range now ready for France
06/16/2016

BYD, by far the world's largest maker of pure electric buses, is demonstrating its commitment to the important French bus and coach market at the Transport Publics event this week in Paris. BYD is underlining the strength of its offering by announcing orders for 16 of its all new pure electric buses and coaches to French operators together with a trial with renowned Paris operator RATP and the unveiling of its 12 metre single deck bus – being displayed for the first time in France on its stand No M26 at the Show.

BYD at Transports Publics 2016 in Paris

Speaking today, Isbrand Ho, Managing Director of BYD Europe said: “France is one of the most important public transport markets in Europe, with its operators being amongst the most respected for their advanced thinking and efficiency. Today we are opening a new chapter of our sales efforts with the announcement of the sale of the first 15 of our all new pure electric coaches, a world leading model which we premiered here in Paris earlier this year”.

BYD France’s first customer is B.E.Green of Yvelines near Paris which has ordered three BYD pure electric coaches and one 12m BYD ebus to add to its 100% electric fleet. The Nedroma Group of Athis Mons, also close to Paris, has ordered 12 BYD electric coaches – the largest order so far for this new model from a Western customer.

Patrick Mignucci, President General Manager B.E. Green and Isbrand Ho, Managing Director BYD Europe at the delivery ceremony of BYD ebuses to B.E. Green at Transports Publics

The BYD stand features a heavily enhanced and Europeanised version of its 12m full size single deck bus. Much improved battery technology means that only two battery packs are necessary, allowing increased passenger space in a typical European layout, improved driver visibility and reduced weight.

The 12m ebus on show is similar in specification to the fleet of 35 ebuses which BYD has supplied to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the first in the world to go pure electric for its airside passenger transportation.

The 12m BYD ebus is the first in a full range of BYD pure electric buses for the European market which support BYD’s ‘green city’ vision of offering electric solutions in each passenger carrying category. Further details of the new models are given in the chart in the separate release.

It is no coincidence that Paris is the location for BYD to offer its range and had been chosen for the premiere of the world’s first pure electric coach model earlier this year. Paris officials have announced ambitious air quality improvement plans which involve removing many polluting diesel-powered vehicles from city streets.

The move comes as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) published a damning report on the worldwide consequences of poor air quality. It said: “Outdoor air pollution could cause 6 to 9 million premature deaths a year by 2060 and cost 1% of global GDP – around USD 2.6 trillion annually – as a result of sick days, medical bills and reduced agricultural output, unless action is taken”.

At Transport Publics, leading operator RATP agreed to commence a trial with a BYD ebus later this year (see separate release).

 

[TaiShang]

Road-test ban may set back self-driving car
China Daily, July 29, 2016

A self-driving car manufactured by Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, a modified version of its Raeton sedan, stands on display as a technician fixes a sensor onto its roof at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing in April. [Photo/Shanghai Daily]


Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, the Chinese automaker that completed a 1,931-kilometer trek with a self-driving car earlier this year, has postponed public road tests in response to a regulatory ban it said could impede efforts to develop autonomous vehicles.

The joint venture partner with Ford Motor Co will try to simulate real-world traffic conditions in private testing yards and has suspended all road tests on public streets, said Liang Fenghua, the head of Changan's intelligent vehicle division.

China's auto industry regulator said last week that it is working with police on rules governing autonomous-car testing and warned automakers against conducting public highway trials before the regulations are released.

"We can make up for it if we don't need to wait longer than a year," Liang said by phone from Chongqing. "Eventually, the tests have to be carried out on real roads in large scale. Simulations are remedial measures we take to reduce the impact as much as possible, but cannot replace real road tests."

Changan joins Baidu Inc and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co in urging the government to speed up the drafting of a legal framework for technology being pursued worldwide to make roads safer. Carmakers have emphasized local road testing will be vital to developing cars capable of self-navigating the complex traffic conditions, driving habits and road signage associated with the world's largest auto market.

In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Mark Rosekind said last week that no incident would derail efforts to improve road safety, without specifically mentioning Tesla Motors Inc. The automaker has continued public beta testing of its Autopilot system despite a fatal crash in May.

"There needs to be a balance," said Steve Man, an auto analyst in Hong Kong with Bloomberg Intelligence. "If local companies are barred from doing it at all, there's a high risk for them to fall behind. It is of big concern to them."

Changan's 1,931-km autonomous driving trip from Chongqing to Beijing in April followed a similar road test by Volvo on Beijing's Sixth Ring Road last year. China's self-driving vehicle push has been part of a broader initiative urging manufacturers to upgrade their technology, as lower-cost countries emerge and compete for labor-intensive factory jobs.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security have a preliminary draft of the rules to govern testing of autonomous cars, She Weizhen, head of the MIIT's autos department, said in a forum in Beijing last week. With ambitions to produce highly automated vehicles by 2020, Changan will run more tests once regulations are finalized to catch up with competitors, Liang said.

"I'm not optimistic about the rules coming out soon," said Jia Xinguang, an analyst with the China Automobile Dealers Association.

 

[ahojunk]

This is a good development after the tragedy in Taiwan.
I am surprise of such a quick development. It's an electric bus too.

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New bus in south China makes emergency escape easier
(Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-07-31 07:23

A staff member demonstrates how to escape through a large safety window, after all the nine exits open when an emergency button is activated, July 29, 2016. [Photo/VCG]


GUANGZHOU - A bus featuring a new security system debuted in south China's Guangdong province on Friday to make it easier for passengers to escape during emergencies.

The electric-powered bus, designed by the Municipal Commission of Transport in Guangzhou, will perform trial runs before it is adopted more widely.

According to Zhao Jiantong, manager of the information office of the Guangzhou electrical bus company, there are eight emergency buttons inside the bus. One of the buttons is for the driver, while the remaining seven are for passengers and are located near seven safety windows.

"In the case of explosion or fire, people can escape through nine exits," Zhao was quoted as saying by the Guangzhou Daily.

The safety windows are larger than those on the old buses and are positioned lower to allow seniors and children to escape.

When a button is pressed, information on an electronic screen outside the bus immediately changes from the bus number to "SOS," accompanied by emergency lights and alarms.

The new bus is also equipped with a "black box" that automatically sends information and video footage from the bus to the control center when an accident happens.

A bus carrying a tour group from Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province crashed into a highway barrier and caught fire near Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport on July 19 as tourists were en route to the airport for their flight home. All 26 people on board, including a local driver and a local tour guide, were killed.

The accident renewed people's concerns over public transportation safety.

When a button is activated, information on an electronic screen outside the bus immediately changes from the bus number to "SOS," accompanied by emergency lights and alarms. [Photo/VCG]

If the window fails to open, passengers can manually push it open. [Photo/VCG]

Safety hammers are also provided as the last resort to break open windows. [Photo/VCG]

 

[Three_Kingdoms]

This is a good development after the tragedy in Taiwan.
I am surprise of such a quick development. It's an electric bus too.

--------
New bus in south China makes emergency escape easier
(Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-07-31 07:23

View attachment 322069
A staff member demonstrates how to escape through a large safety window, after all the nine exits open when an emergency button is activated, July 29, 2016. [Photo/VCG]


GUANGZHOU - A bus featuring a new security system debuted in south China's Guangdong province on Friday to make it easier for passengers to escape during emergencies.

The electric-powered bus, designed by the Municipal Commission of Transport in Guangzhou, will perform trial runs before it is adopted more widely.

According to Zhao Jiantong, manager of the information office of the Guangzhou electrical bus company, there are eight emergency buttons inside the bus. One of the buttons is for the driver, while the remaining seven are for passengers and are located near seven safety windows.

"In the case of explosion or fire, people can escape through nine exits," Zhao was quoted as saying by the Guangzhou Daily.

The safety windows are larger than those on the old buses and are positioned lower to allow seniors and children to escape.

When a button is pressed, information on an electronic screen outside the bus immediately changes from the bus number to "SOS," accompanied by emergency lights and alarms.

The new bus is also equipped with a "black box" that automatically sends information and video footage from the bus to the control center when an accident happens.

A bus carrying a tour group from Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province crashed into a highway barrier and caught fire near Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport on July 19 as tourists were en route to the airport for their flight home. All 26 people on board, including a local driver and a local tour guide, were killed.

The accident renewed people's concerns over public transportation safety.


View attachment 322070
When a button is activated, information on an electronic screen outside the bus immediately changes from the bus number to "SOS," accompanied by emergency lights and alarms. [Photo/VCG]

View attachment 322071
If the window fails to open, passengers can manually push it open. [Photo/VCG]

View attachment 322073
Safety hammers are also provided as the last resort to break open windows. [Photo/VCG]

I love this problem-oriented + problem-solving attitudes and we put it into realisation with so much efficiency
Well done

 

[TaiShang]

BYD to expand into Brazilian auto market
China Daily, August 1, 2016

Workers assemble cars at a production line of BYD Co Ltd in Shanghai. BYD is deepening its ties with Correios, Brazil's logistics giant. [Photo by Hu Xi/China Daily]


BYD Co Ltd, a major private sector new-energy vehicle producer in China, is firming up plans to further expand into the Brazilian market.

Towards this goal, it is deepening its cooperation with Correios, Brazil's biggest postal service group, which is an official partner of Rio 2016.

"Correios is absolutely the leader of the country's logistics industry. Its projects will influence not only the whole industry, but other international companies such as DHL and Fedex," BYD told China Daily by e-mail.

In March, BYD loaned one of its T3 electric vans to Correios, which is assessing "green" logistics solutions through a series of tests with electric cars from different makers, especially those that feature increased energy efficiency in urban traffic.

"Correios is floating an open tender for purchasing vans for its logistics operations later this year," said a person from the public relations department of BYD, who asked not to be identified but said BYD plans to bid.

The T3 boasts a cargo compartment with 800 kg capacity, and a driving range of over 200 kilometers. The foray into Brazil would mark its international debut.

According to BYD, it is entering Brazilian market step by step. Currently, the company offers some tests and trials to key customers, to help them better know its products and the brand.

The company believes such tests and trials are vital to developing the market.

BYD entered Brazil in 2013 with its electric buses, which were a new product for the country at the time, the e-car maker said.

It introduced its electric taxi, and electric logistic vehicles later. In 2014, impressed by the promising new-energy vehicle market, BYD built a factory in Brazil.

The country has formulated several policies in the past two years to support the development of its new-energy vehicle industry. In October 2015, it removed the 35 percent import tariffs on electric and hybrid vehicles altogether.

BYD's overseas expansion and marketing strategy includes promotion of electric vehicles like buses and taxis in public transport systems, and localization such as establishing research and development centers and assembly lines, the company said.

Founded in 1995 and listed on both the Hong Kong bourse and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, BYD is a private manufacturer specializing in four industries: IT, cars, new-energy vehicles and light rail systems.

BYD said it sold about 70,000 new-energy vehicles worldwide last year, up more than 200 percent from 2014, accounting for 11 percent of the world's new-energy vehicle market.

By the end of May, BYD's new-energy vehicles have been sold in 200 cities across 48 countries and regions.

The company has 24 production bases in China, one in the United States and one in Brazil. In June, it announced it will build a new battery factory in Qinghai Province.

 

[TaiShang]

BYD to launch electric fleet of 100 taxis in Singapore
China.org.cn, August 1, 2016

BYD e6 fleet in Singapore [Photo/China.org.cn]

HDT Singapore Taxi is launching a fleet of fully-electric taxis in Singapore during the first quarter of 2017, in Southeast Asia's first fully-electric taxi operation.



The fleet is made up of 100 e6 electric crossover sedans supplied by BYD, the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries and electric vehicles (EVs), as part of their strategy to introduce e-taxis in Singapore.

HDT will begin its taxi service operation in the first week of September, with all 100 e-taxis being progressively introduced until the first quarter of 2017. The company currently operates a private-hire service with an existing fleet of 30 BYD e6, which will continue to provide private on-call and leasing services.

Since its operation started in 2014, these 30 BYD e6 vehicles have accumulated a mileage of about three million kilometers, representing a 1,000-ton cut in carbon dioxide emissions.

To support its operations, HDT will implement the necessary charging infrastructure incompliance with Singapore's charging standards. This Type 2 charging standard – which allows for normal and semi-fast EV charging – will enable the BYD e6 taxi to fully charge within 90 minutes. HDT's charging points will bolster the government’s efforts to build an EV charging infrastructure that will also support the proliferation of EVs in Singapore.

"With its strong research capabilities, great pool of talent and a growing electro-mobility ecosystem, Singapore is an ideal location to deploy our e-taxi fleet to conduct research and development with reputable partners. From Singapore, we hope to co-create new and innovative solutions which we can commercialize in the region," said Mr. Wang Chuanfu, Chairman of BYD Group.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese consumers show rising interest on self-driving cars
Xinhua, August 2, 2016

A self-driving car developed by China brand Changan Automobile. [Photo/Xinhua]


Chinese consumers showed rising interest in self-driving cars despite concerns over safety, a ten-country report showed Monday.

In China, about 81 percent of the surveyed consumers, roughly 500, were willing to try autonomous cars, an increase from 75 percent last year, according to a report released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the World Economic Forum.

The report, "Self-Driving Vehicles, Robo-Taxis, and the Urban Mobility Revolution," builds on earlier research by BCG and the World Economic Forum, including a survey conducted in August 2015 of more than 5,500 consumers in ten countries -- the largest global survey on self-driving vehicles (SDVs) to date.

In comparison with China's rising interest, German consumers, who expressed the most reluctance of the three countries in the earlier research, were slightly more risk-averse this year with 41 percent saying they would be willing to try a fully self-driving car, compared with 44 percent in 2015. American consumers are slightly, but not significantly, less positive, with 48 percent compared with 53 percent last year.

Despite media coverage on the safety of autonomous driving, public opinion does not appear to have changed significantly. Some 58 percent of consumers in cities around the world are open to trying out a fully-autonomous car. Willingness is highest among younger consumers: 63 percent of those aged 29 or younger are willing to ride in a full SDV, compared with 46 percent of those aged 51 or above.

Widespread urban adoption of SDV and "robo-taxis" or self-driving taxis, could result in a 60 percent drop in the number of cars on city roads, an 80 percent or greater decrease in tailpipe emissions, and 90 percent fewer road accidents, according to the report.

"There is a compelling case to be made for SDVs in cities," said Nikolaus Lang, a BCG senior partner and coauthor of the report, adding that ride-shared, electric robo-taxis can substantially transform and improve urban transportation and, by direct extension, livability, by providing more people with easier access to mobility, making the streets safer, and freeing up space previously used for parking.

China is taking a leading position in developing autonomous cars worldwide, with Baidu standing out as the market pioneer. The company generated a lot of excitement when it successfully completed a rigorous road test in Beijing in December.

Baidu wants to commercialize driverless technology by 2018 and to achieve mass production of the cars by 2020. It has partnered with Wuhu City, a Shanghai-based automobile industrial park and a tourist destination in Wuzhen to test driverless cars this year.

 

[TaiShang]

Volvo Cars reports global sales growth of 9.3% in July
Xinhua, August 3, 2016

Volvo Cars posted a 9.3 percent increase in retail sales globally in July ,said the company's press release on Tuesday.

In July, Volvo Cars sold 41,681 cars globally. Sales of the new Volvo XC90 were the main growth driver globally, while the XC60 continues to be the best-selling model overall. Global growth for the first seven months was 10.3 percent.

The United States was Volvo's biggest market in July, reporting a sales increase of 52.3 percent versus the same month last year. Retail sales amounted to 8,556 cars. The new Volvo XC90 was the best-selling Volvo model in the United States with the XC60 in second place.

Sales of Volvo cars in China amounted to 6,171 cars in July, up 5.8 percent versus the same month last year. The best-selling cars were the locally produced Volvo XC60 and S60L models.

Sales in Europe as a whole amounted to 20,502 cars, up 0.1 percent. The Volvo XC60 was the best-selling model in Europe while the new XC90 represented most of the growth for the month.

Volvo Cars, which was acquired by Chinese automaker Geely in 2010, employs nearly 29,000 people worldwide.

 

[TaiShang]

LeEco to invest $3b in auto park
(China Daily) 09:04, August 11, 2016

Jia Yueting (left), CEO of LeEco, introduces the company's first concept electric car LeSEE in April. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Huge facility part of internet major's broad plans to go into mass-produced electric vehicles

Chinese internet major LeEco said on Wednesday it will invest 20 billion yuan ($3.02 billion) to build an auto park in Zhejiang province, as part of the group's broad plan to mass-produce electric cars.

The park, to span 2.87 square kilometers, will include an electric-car plant with annual capacity of 400,000 units, the company said.

It declined to disclose when the plant will start production and it was also unclear whether the plan was approved by industry regulators.

The Beijing-based firm said that the car factory's first phase will cost 6 billion yuan and when completed will be able to produce 200,000 cars annually.

"The plant will host a high-end car assembly line, which will have our own intellectual property, and we will start building the factory as soon as possible," said LeEco CEO and founder Jia Yueting.

Founded in 2004, LeEco started as a video-streaming service provider akin to Netflix Inc, but it rapidly grew into a heavyweight with presence in smartphones, TVs and cloud computing.

In April, it released its first self-driving electric concept car－28 months after the company decided to enter the industry. Its founder Jia has also invested in the US-based electric car startup Faraday Future, which promised last year to spend $1 billion on a US factory. But the initiative was thrown into doubt amid worries about its financial health.

Zhang Yu, managing director of Automotive Foresight Co, said it takes at least five to six years for carmakers to move a concept car into mass production and it remains to be seen how LeEco, as an internet company, will achieve the goal.

"It remains to be seen whether LeEco's project is feasible," Zhang said, adding he was also concerned about whether the firm had the 20 billion yuan to invest in the park.

Chinese internet giants are all eyeing cars, which are widely seen as the ultimate mobile device to connect people with their services.

Last month, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd unveiled an internet-enabled vehicle in partnership with SAIC Motor Corp, a major car manufacturer. The car will soon be in the market at a retail price from 148,800 yuan.

Baidu Inc has said it plans to mass-produce its self-driving cars in five years. Tencent Holdings Ltd is also marching into the sector with Foxconn Technology Group, although they are yet to unveil concept cars.

The trend comes amid a boom in China's new-energy vehicle market. From January to July, sales of new-energy passenger vehicles surged 140 percent to 150,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

**

Higer Bus to produce more electric vehicles
By Mary Poni Yugu
China.org.cn, August 11, 2016

Higer's KLQ6762GEV pure electric bus. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Higer Bus, one of China's leading bus producing companies, will produce more electric buses and vehicles in the near future, according to Shaun Lyu, sales manager of the Africa markets and overseas department of the company.


This information was disclosed to over 300 ministers, deputy ministers, department heads, Permanent Secretaries, businessmen and entrepreneurs from Africa, who were on a visit to Higer Bus and Coach Company, located at the Special Industrial Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

According to Lyu, in order to beat the market Higer needs to develop and implement the innovations most suitable for the African market.

He disclosed that Higer specializes in promoting international cooperation in the fields of product design, quality control, global procurement, staff training and many others to reap the full benefits of internationalization and increase competitive advantage.

Higer has provided over 300 bus and coach models and light duty vehicles to more than 100 countries and regions in South Asia, Middle East, Africa, Russia, Eastern Europe and America, he said.

The sales manager disclosed that Algeria is presently the biggest market for their products in Africa, with over 7,000 units in different brands, adding that Higer has also exported more than 200 units to Nigeria, Sudan and Nairobi.

 

[ahojunk]

What? First it occurred in America and now it has also happened in China.

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Tesla's 1st crash in China puts self-driving in spotlight
(Xinhua) 13:19, August 11, 2016

The file photo shows a Tesla vehicle which crashed in Beijing. [Photo: weibo.com]
​

Tesla says that one of its cars crashed in Beijing while in "autopilot" mode.

A driver named Luo Zhen says he engaged the autopilot function as he often did on Beijing's highways.

Luo's car hit a vehicle parked half off the road. The accident sheered off the parked vehicle's side mirror and scraped both cars. The driver has reportedly said sales staff over sold the "self-driving" function of the vehicle.

Tesla said it had reviewed data to confirm the car was in autopilot mode, a system that takes control of steering and braking in certain conditions.

The company, which is investigating the crash in Beijing last week, said it was the driver's responsibility to maintain control of the vehicle. In this case, it said, the driver's hands were not detected on the steering wheel.

The crash in China, comes months after a fatal accident in Florida, which raised pressure on auto industry executives and regulators to tighten rules on automated driving technology.

 

[TaiShang]

Geely to revolutionize London's black taxis
China Daily, August 12, 2016

Three years ago, London Taxi Co was bankrupt and Londoners faced losing their familiar black taxicabs. But thanks to Chinese automaker Geely, the re-energized company is about to introduce a radical change on the streets of London.

Geely's London Taxi unit will reintroduce the cab in the middle of next year. It will be more environmentally friendly, shifting from diesel to electric power, and more spacious, holding one more person than the previous car.

The new taxicab also features a wheelchair position that faces forward.

The prototype of the vehicle was unveiled in October during the state visit of President Xi Jinping to the United Kingdom.

"The model is designed to take on the challenges faced by many major cities, such as air pollution and over-crowdedness," Chris Gubbey, CEO of London Taxi, said on Wednesday. Adam Soller, co-partner of London Photo Taxi Tour, a company that offers tourists a customized service in black cabs, said, "I really like that they kept the iconic design and can take on an extra passenger."

Soller added that, as a cab-driver, he is looking forward to buying the electric vehicle, although it will depend on the cost.

The company hasn't given details on the price of the new model.

Although Londoners know them as black taxis, since black was the only color used for many years, all colors are now available.

The project began in 2013, right after Geely acquired the then-distressed LTC for 11.4 million pounds ($14.8 million).

"It's extremely lucky that Geely became involved," said Gubbey.

Geely, whose headquarters are in Hangzhou and whose name literally means "auspicious" in Chinese, announced previously that it is investing 300 million pounds in LTC's new research and production facility, marking the largest such investment by a Chinese company in UK's green field. The site under construction, at Ansty Park near Coventry in the English Midlands, includes about 30,000 square meters of production space and 6,000 square meters of office area. It will be the first new auto plant built in the country in more than 10 years.

Gubbey said LTC's relationship with Geely was more like a partnership. "Even if the company owns Volvo and LTC, it feels like you are in a partnership, instead of having a controlling entity."

According to LTC, production of the new car will begin in the middle of next year, with low volume initially and ramping up in September. Gubbey said LTC is aiming for aggressive expansion outside the UK.

However, some London cab-drivers expressed a reluctance to share their icon.

 

[ahojunk]

I am a fan of EV. Hope that this scheme will give a boost to the EV industry in China which will then flow on to the rest of the world.

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China to use carbon scheme to boost electric car numbers: draft rules
Fri Aug 12, 2016 4:51am EDT

Electric cars are seen at a parking lot of an automobile factory in Xingtai, Hebei province, China April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

By Kathy Chen | BEIJING

China, the world's biggest auto producer, plans to include carmakers in its planned national carbon trading scheme to encourage the manufacture of more electric vehicles, according to a draft of rules being circulated in the industry.

Domestic makers and importers of fossil-fuel cars will have to participate in the scheme if they meet a minimum production or sales threshold, according to rules drawn up by the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) and posted on a local news website on Thursday.

There are no details yet on where the threshold will be set, but the document also said some makers of new energy vehicles (NEVs) - plug-in electric and hybrid cars - would be able to participate in the scheme.

The draft will also circulate within regulatory bodies including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which oversees manufacturing industries, until Aug. 25 for consultation, an official with the NDRC confirmed to Reuters.

It was not clear how much longer the review process will run after that or when the program might be implemented.

The policy would likely benefit China's top NEV producers such as BYD Co and BAIC Motor Corp, which have stepped up production of traditional hybrids in recent years.

Companies included in the scheme will be able to sell carbon permits earned from cutting down on the release of CO2 emissions, whereas those with higher emissions than they are allowed will have to buy permits.

"The carbon emission quota policy will promote the health of the new energy vehicle market," said Ye Shengji, deputy secretary general of industry body China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, on Friday.

China is going to issue carbon permits to some 8,000 companies - fewer than earlier expected - in eight industries by the first quarter of next year in preparation for the launch of its national CO2 trading scheme, said Jiang Zhaoli, a senior climate official, to state media last week.

The number of the permits given to auto makers and dealers will be measured by the ratio of their NEV output versus the number of fossil fuel cars they make or sell, said the draft.

China produced 177,000 NEVs in the first half of the year, up by 125 percent from the same period last year, but making up less than 1.4 percent of the total, official data showed.

China wants to have 5 million NEVs on the nation's roads by 2020. Experts say a lack of charging stations and battery quality remain the primary barriers to long-distance driving and greater penetration of the market.

China's surge in NEV sales since 2014 has been supported by financial incentives that will total to 400 billion yuan ($60 billion) for the 2015-2020 period.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said on Friday that it maintained its earlier forecast of 700,000 new energy vehicle sales this year.


($1 = 6.6444 Chinese yuan)


(Reporting by Kathy Chen, with additional reporting by Winni Zhou; Editing by Tom Hogue)