New energy autos come to Xi'an roads

A total of 300 Skywell fully-electric buses went into operation on Aug 28 at the Xi'an High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Shaanxi province, which might bring more cooperation between Skywell Group and the city.

At the delivering ceremony, Lv Jian, executive deputy mayor of the city, said automobile manufacturing has become a pillar industry in Shaanxi province in recent years.

The local government will pay close attention to and encourage enterprises like Skywell Group to settle down through innovative programs affecting their infrastructure construction and industrial development and will offer them a better business environment, Lv added.

The new energy bus manufacturing project, with a total investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.47 billion), was signed by the Xi'an Municipal Government and Skywell Group on October 30, 2017.

According to the agreement, the Skywell Group is to construct a new energy bus base in Xi'an and develop it into an advanced smart automobile manufacturing base in China.

Skywell New Energy Automobile Group, a high-tech enterprise which integrates R&D, production, sales and service of new energy vehicles and core components, has become one of the leading domestic enterprises of new energy vehicles.

It achieved production breakthroughs to record a sales volume of 10,633 vehicles in 2017.

Huang Hongsheng, chairman of Skywell Group, said the company has created a completed new energy automotive industry chain, which includes the manufacturing of electric buses, logistics vehicles, special vehicles and passenger vehicles.

"The company also made achievements in the core technology of new energy. For instance, the creation of a self-developed battery PACK, BMS, a vehicle controller, motor controller and other core components," Huang stressed.

As one of the pilot cities of new energy vehicles in China, Xi'an has unique advantages in science and technology, talent resources and industrial development.

Huang said that with the support of the local governments, Skywell Group will develop more programs in the city in the next decade and contribute to the province's goal of a 100 billion yuan-output.