Chinese largest automaker SAIC Motor is said to launch its first 5G-powered model, which is also the unprecedented one to the world, in April, 2020, according to a local media outlet, citing Zu Sijie, vice president and chief engineer of SAIC Motor.
“The concept of ‘building Internet cars’ is about to connect vehicles with Internet in a bid to make automobile a part of Internet or IoT (Internet of Things). In a strategic partnership with Huawei and China Mobile, we are working on developing the global first 5G-enabled vehicle, which is expected to be launched in next year's April,” said Zu Sijie.
As an important technology that promotes ICVs down the road, 5G can substantially speed up data transmission with high stability and low latency. It plays a vital role in R&D of autonomous vehicles. Theoretically, 5G is able to reach a transmission speed of up to 1GB per eight seconds, over 10 times faster than that of 4G technology.
The Shanghai-based auto giant has been undertaking the collaboration focusing on 5G-based ICVs with China Mobile and Huawei for more than two years. As early as June, 2017, the three companies jointly showcased the world’s first-time 5G-based remote driving application, marking an important milestone in improving the reliability of autonomous and driverless vehicles, and also a major step forward in commercial application, said Huawei.
One year after, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2018, three parties co-demonstrated the application of ICVs using the low-latency network enabled by 5G Era LTE and the cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology. The demonstration involved a human operator who remotely and precisely controlled the out-field fleet via the driving control console located at the exhibition hall.
In April 2019, the project of China's first demonstration zone for 5G-based smart transportation was formally initiated under joint efforts of SAIC Motor, China Mobile, Huawei and Shanghai International Automobile City. The construction is expected to be completed next year and afterwards be open to the public.
