Africa Automotive September-October 2023 digital issue

September-October issue l 2023
News
Huawei is pushing its tech into the EV world with new cars,
automaker partnerships
Chinese telecommunications
and smartphone giant
Huawei is doubling down
on selling its tech in the
competitive electric car market.
The company has emphasized it
doesn’t manufacture cars. Instead,
it sells tech components such as
its Harmony OS operating system
and driver-assist product, or works
with automakers to create new EV
brands.
Huawei on Tuesday confirmed it is
working with at least four traditional
automakers in China on new car
brands, after news over the weekend
of a joint venture with Changan
Automobile for car technology.
Changan and Huawei are already
partners for the Avatr electric car
brand, created in 2018 with electric
car battery giant Contemporary
Amperex Technology. Avatr’s SUV
and sedan each sell for slightly more
than the equivalent of $42,000.
Huawei is also working with Chery
on the Luxeed electric car brand,
which revealed details for its S7.
Chinese automakers with products
“lacking in the tech necessary to
compete seem more than happy to
use Huawei’s [tech] to fill the voids,”
said Tu Le, founder of Beijing-based
advisory firm Sino Auto Insights.
Detroit opens First wireless charging road
The Michigan Transportation
Department and city of
Detroit have opened the
first wireless charging road
on 14th Street between Marantette
and Dalzelle streets near Michigan
Central Station. The road is
equipped with inductive-charging
coils from Israel-based Electreon
Wireless Ltd. to test the technology’s
efficiency and potential for public
transportation opportunities. Only
EVs equipped with a special receiver
can be charged from it.
The Copper inductive charging
coils allow vehicles equipped with
receivers to charge up their batteries
while driving, idling or parking
above the coils.
The quarter-mile segment of 14th
Street will be used to test and
perfect the technology ahead of
making it available to the public
A Ford electric vehicle is shown travelling on an electrified road to charge it. (Electreon)
within a few years, according
to the Michigan Department of
Transportation.
The Michigan Transportation
Department and city of Detroit have
opened the first wireless charging
road on 14th Street between
Marantette and Dalzelle streets near
Michigan Central Station. The road
is equipped with inductive-charging
coils from Israel-based Electreon
Wireless Ltd. to test the technology’s
efficiency and potential for public
transportation opportunities. Only
EVs equipped with a special receiver
can be charged from it.
The Copper inductive charging
coils allow vehicles equipped with
receivers to charge up their batteries
while driving, idling or parking
above the coils.
Africa Automotive News l 2023 9