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First Huawei Car Launched, Comes With HarmonyOS, Kirin Chip, Super-Fast Charge

Huawei has officially become a car manufacturer after the company attended the Shanghai Auto show to take the wraps off its first EV created in collaboration with BAIC’s EV division.
Huawei's first car created in collaboration with BAIC 3 photos
Photo: Huawei via HuaweiCentral
Huawei's first EVHuawei's first EV
The Arcfox Alpha S is an all-electric model whose software and hardware parts are entirely powered by Huawei. While no information has been shared in this regard, BAIC was most likely in charge of everything related to manufacturing.

First and foremost, Huawei and BAIC will offer two different models, namely Alpha S and Alpha S HI versions, each with base and high-end configurations. So at the end of the day, there are four different versions of the Huawei car that customers can order.

Needless to say, the Arcfox Alpha S is a tech-packed car, with power coming from a Kirin 990A chip developed by Huawei. Unsurprisingly, it offers 5G support and runs on HarmonyOS, the in-house built operating system originally supposed to serve as an alternative to Android that later evolved to become a full platform for almost everything Huawei makes.

Just as expected, Huawei is betting big on the synchronization between the car and its smartphones, so HarmonyOS allows for seamless communications, with a massive 4K car screen installed on the dashboard making it possible for users to control everything from infotainment to autonomous driving capabilities.

Of course, voice recognition is also offered, but the car also supports gestures, so that you can interact with the car without touch.

In terms of EV capabilities, the available 93.6 kWh battery is said to offer an autonomy that goes up to over 700 km (435 miles) per charge. And the fast charging is impressive, to say the least, as a dedicated mode allows for the battery to get up to 197 km (122 miles) worth of power in just 10 minutes.

The lithium-ion battery pack comes with a smart temperature control, so in theory, it’s as safe as it gets because the charging doesn’t allow for excessive overheating; that is one of the reasons the car recharges so fast. Wireless charging is also offered, though it goes without saying it’d take longer to fully recharge the battery without a cable.

The autonomous driving mode is powered by the onboard maps also provided by Huawei, though for now, only a handful of Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, are supported.

The car will go on sale later this year, and the pricing starts at 251,900 Yuan (about $38,700), going all the way up to 429,900 Yuan ($66,000) for the top HI version.
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Editor's note: For all the new models launched at the Chinese show this year, check out our extended coverage of Auto Shanghai 2021.

About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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