Changsha Continuously Boosts Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry

The Hunan Xiangjiang New Area Hajie Network Technology Co., Ltd. was recently established with a registered capital of 30 million USD, equivalent to approximately 200 million CNY. According to shareholder information, the company is wholly owned by the Hong Kong RideTech Limited, a subsidiary of the Hello Inc. The company's business scope includes shared mobility, IoT services, and charging infrastructure operations. This marks Hello Inc's continued efforts to strengthen its smart transportation footprint in Hunan and the market of central China.

The Hello Inc. has previously launched services in Changsha, including bike-sharing, battery-swapping for two-wheelers, cycling tours, and car rentals. The establishment of this new company is viewed by the industry as a significant step in the group's continued expansion into the field of intelligent driving.

Hello Inc.'s business covers bike-sharing, e-bikes, ride-sharing, taxi services, car rentals, electric bicycle manufacturing and sales, battery swapping, and local lifestyle services. (File photo)

This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision for the Hello Inc. Previously, the group had partnered with the Ant Group, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), and others to invest over three billion CNY in the robotaxi sector, with plans to launch operations in Hunan by 2025. With the establishment of this new company, Hello Inc.'s business strategy in Hunan is gradually shifting from traditional shared mobility services toward more technology-driven fields such as autonomous driving and intelligent transportation.

Changsha is said to be one of the earliest cities in China to develop the intelligent connected vehicle industry. On April 1 of this year, the "Changsha Regulations on the Development of Autonomous Vehicles" officially took effect. The document provided institutional support for the development of the autonomous vehicle industry across multiple levels, ranging from road testing and demonstration applications to industrial collaboration. Specifically, the regulations explicitly encourage the deployment of autonomous vehicles in various application scenarios, including passenger transport services such as city buses, trams, and taxis (excluding school bus services); urban operation support services such as shuttle services and public security patrols; and road freight transport (excluding the transport of dangerous goods).

Currently, in addition to the Hello Inc., Changsha has attracted a cluster of companies specializing in intelligent driving, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, core components, and scenario-based operations. The city is at the forefront of the nation in areas such as open-road testing and intelligent transportation infrastructure development. This also means that passenger transport services in Changsha, such as taxis, are expected to be among the first to enter the era of autonomous driving.

The establishment of Hello Inc.'s new company in the Yuelu High-Tech Industrial Development Zone has injected fresh momentum into the zone's efforts to strengthen and expand its "vehicle-road-cloud integration" industrial ecosystem, as well as to attract and empower enterprises. With the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Changsha) Testing Area and the National Internet of Vehicles Pilot Zone, the Yuelu High-Tech Industrial Development Zone was the first to secure five national-level licenses. China's first specialized regulation on autonomous driving was also implemented here, clearing institutional barriers for technology commercialization. A total of 143 companies in the industrial chain work together here, collectively shaping the "vehicle-road-cloud integration" industrial landscape.

In the future, the output value of the intelligent connected vehicle industry in Yuelu High-Tech Industrial Development Zone is expected to exceed 100 billion CNY, making the zone a benchmark for "vehicle-road-cloud integration" application demonstrations and commercial operations in central part of China. The zone will also build itself into a hub for the clustered development of new-quality intelligent connected vehicle industries.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang
Source: en.changsha.gov.cn （Chinese source: Changsha Evening News）