BYD chairman: SkyRail for better future
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 22, 2018
Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Auto Co., Ltd., the leading Chinese automaker and new energy technology company, told China.org.cn that the SkyRail is a solution to growing urban congestion.
BYD has just unveiled the world's first monorail, named BYD SkyRail, with a 100 percent independently developed unmanned driving system in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China, on Jan. 10.
The system, a BYD innovation, is combined with Huawei's proprietary 4.5G eLTE technology to offer seamless connectivity which allows data to be transmitted securely - all the while ensuring a safe ride for passengers.
"We want to use technology to improve the way people live, " Wang said, adding that the combination of Huawei's state-of-the-art 4.5G technology with autonomous SkyRail makes the vehicle "smarter," more efficient and even more reliable.
Hundreds of government officials, experts, guests and reporters took a ride on the smoothly running monorail to experience a unique press conference inside the train compartment. At the end of the event, the beautiful landscapes could be enjoyed from the windows.
"When you take the subway, you go underground. A packed train, dark outside with annoying noise – which is what you will get in a metropolis. But with the SkyRail, as it is above the ground, you can enjoy the life, cityscape and nature with fewer passengers and less noise," the chairman described his vision, "We want to exploit innovative technologies to meet people's yearning for a better life."
SkyRail, the elevated straddle monorail, has been under development for five years with a 1,000-strong R&D crew and a five-billion-yuan budget. The vehicle now comes complete with the most technically advanced automated driving system, meaning it is fully autonomous and capable of performing safety critical driving functions.
It embodies several "smart" functions including the ability to switch to a back-up battery in the event of a power outage, auto-problem diagnosis, an automated tracking of passenger flows and a facial recognition system. It is also capable of operating under extreme weather conditions ranging from -40 to 80 degree Celsius.
![The BYD SkyRail train runs on the monorail track in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Jan. 10, 2018. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/site1007/2018-01/22/4ab71cb1-afe3-4f41-9254-60c6da16a648.jpg)
"We should build a city on tracks rather than one on wheels," Wang espoused. Since its establishment in 1995, BYD has developed solid expertise in rechargeable batteries. It has successfully expanded its renewable energy solutions in over 50 countries and regions, with operations including new energy cars, electric minibuses, monorail and more.
"More new energy cars can help control vehicle exhaust emissions in a city, but what about the traffic jam? About 28 million vehicles are sold every year but we don't have the same growth rate for roads," he stated.
Wang is targeting second-, third- and fourth-tier cities as: "They have a medium-range volume of passengers, so monorail is the best option for them," Wang pointed out, "They don't have to build subways, which is expensive and unnecessary. I can give you five monorails for one subway with the same budget.”
Twenty cities have approached BYD for possible SkyRail installments and so far the company has also signed deals with domestic cities of Yinchuan, Shantou, Shenzhen, Guang'an and Jining, as well as Iloilo in the Philippines, Alexandria of Egypt and Morocco as well.
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