A new Å KODA AUTO DigiLab now also in Beijing
The new digital laboratory will be networking with the local start-up scene to develop innovative mobility services and solutions.
As well as being the largest car market in the world, China is also a hotbed of creative talent and innovative start-ups. A highly stimulating scenario in which ŠKODA has decided to open its new DigiLab – the third after Prague and Tel Aviv – to develop mobility services and solutions by working side by side with the most cutting-edge companies.
Among the projects to be launched in 2019, there is In-Car Delivery, in other words courier deliveries directly into the boot of users’ cars, and CareDriver, for patients who require assistance with transport.
Technology for the future
The work of ŠKODA DigiLab Beijing focuses on key areas for the mobility of the future: digitalisation and the development of new business models. “China is one of the world’s drivers of innovation when it comes to digitalisation. After paving the way with the Prague and Tel Aviv DigiLabs, which are now perfectly integrated with the local start-up scenes, it was logical to take the same step in Beijing. This will allow us to gain direct access to important future technologies there too”, explained ŠKODA AUTO CEO Bernhard Maier.
In-Car Delivery and CareDriver
The team at DigiLab Beijing is in intensive talks with potential delivery service partners to begin testing and piloting In-Car Delivery, a service that enables goods to be delivered directly to the customer’s boot of the car, thanks to the use of a digital key.
The CareDriver project, on the other hand, is already active: this is a door-to-door service where specially trained drivers provide transport for patients with mild disabilities or requiring support for their journey to the hospital, making it more convenient and less stressful.
Prague and Tel Aviv
As previously mentioned, the Beijing DigiLab is the third set up by ŠKODA: the lab in Prague was inaugurated in early 2017, while the one in Tel Aviv began operations in January 2018. Since then, both have sustainably strengthened the Czech brand’s innovation as well as its digital development.
Today, the brand’s three digital centres of excellence are working on over 40 projects, focusing on topics such as the sharing economy, connectivity, electric mobility, traffic flows and micromobility.
Source: ŠKODA Auto