Chinese automaker Geely Auto and Swedish technology company Ericsson have announced a connected car partnership. Geely will begin offering customers advanced safety and maintenance features prior to progressing to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, and autonomous driving based on Ericsson's cloud technology, the automaker says. Geely Automobile Research Institute vice-president Dr Hu Hong Xing said, "By co-operating with Ericsson, Geely Auto Group will be able to develop a class-leading connected vehicle service platform that will deliver a greater level of convenience and safety to all road users. This platform will be open and shared, facilitating rapid development of the connected vehicle industry chain."
Significance: The partnership will involve two phases, starting with Geely customers gaining access to smartphone applications, which will enable them to, for example, lock and unlock vehicles, monitor engine systems and fuel use, and activate the air-conditioning system. In the next phase, Geely and Ericsson will use Ericsson's technology and service base to develop links with telecom operators so that Geely vehicles will be able to share information about potential road hazards. The partnership between Geely and Ericsson follows strong links between Volvo and Ericsson. Volvo is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holdings, which also owns Geely Auto.
