(Yicai) Jan. 5 -- Huawei Technologies is broadening the scope of its collaboration with Seres Group, the co-developer of its electric car marque Aito, to help achieve the Chinese tech giant’s goal of installing over 100,000 super-fast charging piles along major roads in China this year.

Huawei unit Huawei Digital Power Technologies will join forces with Seres on the construction and operation of a fast charging network for new energy vehicles and set up links with different charging platforms, Chongqing-based Seres said yesterday. The pair will co-operate on the development and commercialization of EV components as well as expansion into international markets, it added.

Huawei’s super-fast charging piles are liquid-cooled and have a maximum output of 600 kilowatts each, the Shenzhen-based company said. It takes just five minutes of charging to enable a range of more than 200 kilometers.

Huawei plans to build over 100,000 fully liquid-cooled super-fast charging piles by the end of this year, Richard Yu, executive director of the telecoms firm and chairman of its Intelligent Automotive Solution Business Unit, said earlier.

Liquid-cooled charging piles are expensive to make, so to install 100,000 in a year is very ambitious, an industry analyst told Yicai. Huawei will probably form an alliance in order to hike usage of the charging piles so as to break even.

Huawei, which used to specialize in smartphones, has been moving aggressively into the electric car sector in recent years. Last year, sales of Huawei and Seres’ Aito auto surged 33 percent year on year to 106,703 units, according to Seres.

In November 2023, Huawei launched its Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance which is a form of partnership with carmakers in which the telecoms company not only delivers the automobile software but also participates in vehicle design and marketing.

Huawei said the same month that it is setting up a joint venture for smart auto systems and components with Chongqing Changan Automobile into which it will inject intelligent EV technologies, assets and personnels. Other automakers will be able to buy stakes in the JV.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor