Chinese telecom giant Huawei showcases the in-car smart interaction system HiCar at its recently opened flagship store in Shanghai. The three-story store is its biggest in the world with a floor area of 5,000 square meters. The HiCar solution allows drivers to control their cars with smartphones, check on their cars' real-time status and enjoy entertainment applications. （Photo/China News Service）
Chinese electric carmaker BYD and Huawei announced the release of world's first auto carrying Huawei's HiCar system on Sunday, which signifies the global debut of Huawei HiCar system based on its self-developed HarmonyOS.
The HiCar system, an intelligent connectivity solution developed by Huawei, provides services based on HarmonyOS, and serves as a vehicle-machine platform for Huawei's intelligent efforts in the automotive network. BYD's latest electric flagship car model Han is also expected to become the first mobile device running the OS, Richard Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei said during the release conference of the car model.
The launch of the car also marks the commercial use of Huawei's 5G in-vehicle module, indicating the Chinese tech giant has advanced within the car sector and may have a new revenue stream despite an intensified crackdown by the US on the Chinese tech giant.
Appliance of the HarmonyOS on car will also be a major step for the mature of the OS, which it aims to replace Google, analysts said.
Last August, Huawei officially launched its in-car smart interaction system HiCar, allowing drivers to control their cars with smartphones, check on their car's real-time status, and enjoy entertainment applications through vehicle's mobile phone screen.
The firm said its 5G-based HiCar system would be available on more than 120 car models from over 30 enterprises, including Audi, BYD, GAC and BAIC.
The company also established a smart-car solutions business unit, approved by founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei. The new division will offer end-to-end smart mobility solutions for ICT equipment and smart cars.
Huawei Rotating Chairman Eric Xu said the Huawei products offered to car OEMs include mobile data centers, cloud services for autonomous driving, 4G/5G in-vehicle communication modules, and Huawei HiCar people-car-home connectivity solutions.
The firm also launched its "HiCharger" DC electricity fast-charging module in April, tapping into the growing NEV charging field, supported by its software and hardware strength.
Huawei has also patented a list of autonomous driving technologies recently. In May, Huawei autonomous driving system has acquired the Automotive Safety Integrity Level D, the highest classification. The firm is also the first Chinese company to be certified with ASIL-D.
Insiders told the Global Times that when Huawei's software abilities are mature, "the possibility of Huawei making cars will come, just like Huawei began making phones."
