It is public knowledge that Chinese automaker Geely has been aggressive in innovating its car intelligent technologies. In fact, Geely is even venturing into the smartphone market by opening a new company called Hubei Xingji Shidai Technology Co. Ltd which will be based in Wuhan.
Geely's satellite production has officially begun
But now, the Chinese automaker is geared to literally take its technologies out of this world as its first set of low-orbit satellites rolled off the production line via its group company Geespace. The satellites will create high-precision navigation and cloud that will benefit not only the car brand’s self-driving vehicles but also the entirety of Geely’s business network.
The satellite business is all set
To strengthen its satellite network, Geely Technology Group established its Intelligent Satellite Production and Testing Center which was recently completed after 18 months of construction. It is based in Taizhou, China, and is the first AIT (Assembly, Integration, and Testing) center for commercial satellites in China.
“Breaking ground in the midst of an emerging pandemic and 18 months later starting production. This achievement is a reflection of ‘Geely Speed’ and ‘Geely Determination’,” said Geely Technology Group CEO Xu Zhihao at the satellite plant SOP launch ceremony.
A huge improvement for Geely's business
Geely’s Intelligent Satellite Production and Testing Center utilizes the car brand’s experience in modular intelligent manufacturing and integrates the latest smart manufacturing technologies, satellite R&D, advanced testing and quality control, component production, big data analysis, cloud computing, and modular production to “AIT” different types of satellites.
An annual production capacity of 500 units is expected once the plant goes full production. With this, Geely will spearhead car brands launching satellites to space. One car brand that announced its satellite business plan is Honda which is said to launch its first satellite by 2030.
“With the rapid pace of change in the aerospace industry and the integration of new communication technologies in different sectors such as satellite internet, autonomous driving, and cloud computing, a bright future lies ahead for commercial aerospace,” added Xu Zhihao.
The future is closer for Geely
Another initiative Geely did to innovate its technologies is its USD 50 million (or around P2.5-billion) investment in automotive tech company ECARX Technology Co. Ltd. The partnership is expected to develop intelligent automotive technologies, autonomous driving solutions, among others.
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