Synergy between tech, industry powers Hefei's smart chassis innovation

The "Symposium on Smart Chassis for New Energy Vehicles (NEV)" co-hosted by the Hefei Smart Connected New Energy Vehicle Task Force and Xuanyuan Capital (Global Partner of Grand Union of Innovation) took place at the Hefei Municipal Government Center on May 29, 2025. The event gathered over 50 representatives from the government, academic, industrial, and financial sectors to drive the innovation and industrialization of smart chassis.

As one of China's largest NEV hubs with the most complete supply chain, Hefei aims to develop an internationally influential industry cluster. Shao Cui, deputy director of the Hefei NEV Industry Development Promotion Center, revealed that the city is striving to become a world-class hub for NEVs, targeting a cluster revenue of over 1 trillion yuan ($140 billion) by 2027, with an annual output of 3 million NEVs, a 1:1 vehicle-component ratio, and four trillion-yuan enterprises.

In a keynote speech, Professor Zhang Bingli of Hefei University outlined advancements in four core smart chassis domains: Brake-by-Wire, Steer-by-Wire, Suspension-by-Wire, and Drive-by-Wire. He emphasized that Active Suspension technology, with breakthroughs in fast adjustment, is emerging as a trend for mid-to-high-end vehicles. Smart chassis systems, while retaining load-bearing and driving functions, enhance active safety (such as braking stability) and ride comfort through coordinated longitudinal-lateral-verical dynamics and intelligent driving optimization.

Participants experience Hefei's tech achievements. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_da57a4eb9d4e]

Xu Guodong, co-founder of Tongyu Automotive—a leading Chinese by-Wire chassis supplier—shared the company's technology commercialization path. Led by Professor Yu Zhuoping, chief scientist of the National 973 Program under the Ministry of Science and Technology, the team has been developing the Electro-Hydraulic Brake (EHB) system since 2012.

After eight product iterations and two-box to one-box breakthroughs, it has built a product matrix covering braking, steering and Chassis Domain Controller (CDC), becoming a top domestic EHB supplier.

During the symposium, stakeholders discussed industry trends, financial support, and application scenarios. While talking about Hefei's industrial policies, technical roadmaps and market outlooks, stakeholders agreed to integrate smart chassis innovation with industrial needs. Under the collaborative "policy-industry-academia-research-finance-application-service" model, their partnership fuels mutual progress.