On March 1, 2018, the first national technology innovation center in the automotive industry, the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center (NEVC), was unveiled in Beijing E-Town. 

From the outset, the center aimed to become a world-class source of innovation in new energy vehicle technology. Five years have passed and the NEVC has also handed in its first progress report: the cumulative R&D investment has exceeded 2 billion yuan ($287 million), undertaking national and local major projects, focusing on R&D projects.  

A glance at the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center [Photo/beijingetown.com.cn]

Last August, Tsinghua Unigroup obtained the first certificate of the "Automotive Grade Chip Product Certification" in China. The certification was offered by the first domestic automotive-grade chip testing and certification center established in Beijing E-Town last year. 

The center can provide one-stop automotive-grade chip vertical testing and certification services for automotive-grade chip companies.

The automotive-grade chip testing and certification center is just a microcosm of the NEVC's creation of a much bigger innovative service ecosystem. 

Over the past five years, the center has established the first system for the key chip standard for automotive-grade chips in China, filling the gap in the domestic automotive chip industry chain. 

It has carried out over 3 million kilometers of road test verification, including 240,000 kilometers of high and low-temperature harsh environment test verification, preparing for the large-scale development of independent automotive-grade chips. 

The NEVC has also collaborated with the China Automotive Chip Innovation Strategic Alliance, integrating 300 ecological partners, to bridge the two trillion-level industries of vehicles and chips. 

Through the China Automotive Chip Innovation Competition, more than 100 innovative achievements have been collected and sorted out, opening up a new track in the field of China's automotive chips. 

In terms of operating systems, the center has built the first automobile design software toolchain and information platform, deeply mining the needs in areas such as CAD, CAE, CAM, electronic and electrical simulation software, intelligent connected vehicle simulation software and automotive operating systems.