HUAWEI HiCharger overseas version

Huawei launched its "HiCharger" DC electricity fast-charging module on Thursday, tapping into the growing NEV charging field. The Chinese technology giant will try to cut a slice of the intelligent car market, backed up by its strength in software and hardware, analysts say.

The new module, which features high power density and charging efficiency with low noise, will effectively solve the challenges in the vehicle charging infrastructure industry and help it explore to the auto field.

Two versions have been released - a 30 kilowatt version for the domestic market and a 20 kilowatt version for the overseas market.

The Chinese tech giant said the module is just the beginning, and it will release more products that "will shake the industry" in the future, Fang Liangzhou, vice president of the Huawei Network Energy Product Line, said at the product's online launch.

Fang revealed that Huawei's smarter energy product line, which also involves the communications, energy and smart photovoltaic sectors and more than 3,000 researchers, is achieving a rapid growth.

"Once Huawei enters a market, it aims to be number one in the industry, not only in the domestic market but also globally," senior auto industry analyst Mei Songlin told the Global Times on Thursday, adding that as it has strengths in both software and hardware, Huawei is likely to become a combination of "Microsoft and Bosch" in the intelligent car sector.

The company has long shown its ambition in the sector by "making everything related to cars."

Insiders said that when Huawei's software abilities mature, "the possibility of Huawei making its own cars will come, just like Huawei began to make its own phones."

In August 2019, Huawei officially launched its in-car smart interaction system "HiCar," which enables users to control their cars through smartphones, check their car's real-time status and enjoy entertainment applications using the car's mobile phone screen.

Last year, the company established a smart-car solutions business unit that was approved by founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei. The new unit will offer end-to-end smart mobility solutions including ICT equipment and solutions for smart cars.

Huawei Rotating Chairman Eric Xu said the products Huawei will offer 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 for all scenarios.

Huawei has been cooperating with a group of carmakers including Audi, Volvo and Beijing Electric Vehicles.

Huawei's latest foray into the NEV charging industry, which comes amid China's strong support for the NEV industry and a US crackdown on the company that has hindered its consumer and communication businesses, could be another driver for the company's growth in the future, analysts said.

Huawei's first-quarter sales revenue rose just 1.4 percent to 182.2 billion yuan ($25.76 billion), due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Trump administration's crackdown on the company.

Global Times