More and more high-tech companies are announcing plans to develop their own production of future e-vehicles. The leader in the race of giants today is Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) from Taiwan, known as the main OEM manufacturer of Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo, iPhone and Xiaomi smartphones, as well as iPad, MacBook, iPod and chips for Intel.
While Xiaomi and Apple are just announcing their intentions to start developing electric cars, Foxconn Corporation unveiled three models of the company’s future electric vehicles during the annual Hon Hai Tech Day 2021 (HHTD21) conference. The company’s high revenues ($180 billion in 2020) allow Foxconn to diversify its production in the near future and enter the electric vehicle market, which will reach $800 billion by 2027. To develop future cars, the Taiwanese company partners with the Italian Pininfarina design studio.
Foxconn plans to build an electric vehicle plant, a logistics center for supply chain management and a research and development center in Thailand in the next two to three years. This project is funded with 1 to 2 billion dollars. The program is designed to produce from 50 to 150 thousand electric cars per year. It is also known that the company is actively developing a solid-state battery and plans to release the first batteries by 2024. They will be able to replace the less efficient lithium-ion batteries.
According to the founder of Foxconn Terry Gou, on whose birthday three future models of the company’s electric vehicles were presented. Cars are now becoming the largest electronic gadgets, and Foxconn cannot stand aside. To design the software necessary for driving electric vehicles, the company intends to create a team of 2,500 specialists. Their task will include the development of packages such as Smart Gateway, Smart Cockpit and Smart Autonomous Driving.
The following cars were presented at HHTD21 events. The Model C open platform S electric car, positioned as a small urban SUV. Vehicle length – 4.64 m, wheelbase – 2.86 m, seat layout – 5+2. It has a low drag coefficient of 0.27 and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The autonomous radius is up to 700 km.
The premium sedan Model E, created in collaboration with the Italian studio Pininfarina, will become the company’s flagship car. Its presentation was conducted by the founder of Foxconn himself. He drove an electric Model E to the HHTD21 stage on his birthday. However, one of the next competitors of the famous Tesla Model S – the new Model E sedan from Foxconn – gets a 750 hp engine, 2.8 seconds of an acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h, and an autonomous run of 750 km.
Model E is equipped with a mobile office conversion system. It provides a large workspace for the rear passenger by reclining the front seat and a swiveling touchscreen with a large diagonal. The sedan’s interior has received many solutions for the design of the large dashboard. The car is equipped with door unlocking technology for recognizing the user’s face.
The stylish Model T city bus has a high rigidity and safety body construction that meets FTA regulations and standards. The bus has already passed 200 thousand km in test mode. The Model T bus is capable of climbing up to 25%, reaching a maximum speed of 120 km, and the batteries can withstand heat up to 400 degrees. The autonomous run radius is 400 km.
