Geely is clearly not playing around when it comes to self-driving technology, and is investing 2.27 billion yan ($326 million) in a new satellite manufacturing plant in China.
The factory will be tasked with building low-orbit satellites capable of providing self driving cars with more accurate data, reports Autonews Europe. Geely is known across the globe for its ownership of Volvo and investments in Daimler.
The Chinese company is looking to build as many as 500 satellites per year by 2025.
Read Also: Geely Icon Goes On Sale In China With ‘Coronavirus Protection’ For $16,500
It was Geely’s technology arm that originally launched Geespace in order to research, launch and operate low-orbit satellites back in 2018. Currently, there are roughly 300 people tasked with working on the project, according to the carmaker, who said that Geespace will begin launching its commercial low-orbit satellite network by the end of this year.
What these low-orbit satellites can do is offer high-speed internet connectivity, precise navigation and cloud computing capabilities for cars with autonomous driving functions. They will also provide high-speed connectivity when it comes to fast software updates for vehicles.
In terms of putting cars on the road, Geely recently began sales for the Icon subcompact SUV in China (just last week), when it racked up more than 30,000 pre-orders.
The Icon is available with a suite of intelligent driving systems, which holds 12 ultrasonic radars, millimeter wave radar and 5 high-definition cameras. These sensors power driver assistance systems such as the Intelligent Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assistance, the Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Recognition.
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