Some notable findings from the study:

89% of consumers absolutely want to take a test drive before buying a car – just over a third want the test drive to take place at their home.
TikTok is the preferred social media platform for 80% of consumers in China to research the target car before purchase.
Inadequately-developed charging infrastructure is the main reason for consumers in China not to buy an electric car.
68% of those surveyed aim to get their first information about electric cars at a dealership.
According to the study, one of the most critical factors when buying an electric car is taking a test drive, which was cited as crucial for 89% of the respondents. In fact, 38% of consumers prefer to test their chosen model at home instead of at a car dealership. The results also show that consumers who have already driven an electric car are more likely to buy one as their next vehicle. “For many, the fact that the probability of purchase increases to 56% after a test drive may be surprising,” says Florian Wimmer, Director of the Future Mobility Division. “However, if you have the experience of driving a Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT or Ford Mustang Mach –E, given the acceleration, agility, and fun you can have in these cars, the findings from the study fit perfectly into the overall context. ”

China was chosen for the 2021 ISC-CX Future Mobility consumer study because it is the largest revenue market for the automotive industry. Electric vehicles in particular are advocated and heavily promoted by the state and the population. The potential to derive use cases and best practices from a steadily-growing revenue market can be the best basis for recommendations for other markets around the globe. With this new study, ISC-CX is laying the first building block for tracking and predicting trends in the automotive industry. Going forward, ISC-CX’s Future Mobility Division will continue to provide the latest and most exciting insights into the development of the industry.

The survey’s overall conclusion is that during the customer journey of an electric car purchase all touchpoints with the prospective customer must be controlled and optimized. Since the test drive is so crucial to the purchase decision, it should never be left out. Potential customers would also like new ways to learn about the manufacturers’ cars, such as viewing short explanatory videos from their dealer about specific features of a particular model. Research firm ISC-CX assists manufacturers and retailers in optimizing their customers’ experience through various CX products such as multi-channel mystery shopping, data acquisition through crowdsourcing data and audits.

About ISC-CX – Since 1996, ISC-CX has been the leading provider of in-store and omni-channel customer experience analytics programs for global retailers around the world. With multilingual, local teams on site in 120 countries, we collect and analyze millions of data sets per year. You can find our references and CX solutions at ISC-CX.

The press release ISC-CX Future Mobility – The test drive is the crucial factor in the purchasing decision of an electric car in China comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

The featured speakers will address sponsors’ common concerns when establishing a clinical trial supply strategy in China, and provide solutions to problems that sponsors have experienced in the past, including:

Have the regulatory requirements cost time and money and delayed the clinical trial plan?

Have time, language, and cultural differences affected the efficiency of a project?

Are there concerns about quality and reliability when initiating a trial in China?

Is there uncertainty about how to assess sourcing options and determine what the best solution may be?

The challenges of running successful trials in China can be daunting, and getting comparator sourcing right from the start is essential. This webinar will focus on the key areas for success as participants hear both the pharmaceutical and service provider views on how to navigate the Chinese landscape effectively.

Join Chan Liu, Comparator Strategist Lead, Pfizer; and Philip Gregory, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Clinical Trial Services, Inceptua, in a live webinar on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 10am EST (3pm GMT/UK).

For more information, or to register for this event, visit Strategic Comparator Sourcing in China: Optimizing the Clinical Supply Chain.

ABOUT XTALKS
Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com

For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/

The press release Strategic Comparator Sourcing in China: Optimizing the Clinical Supply Chain, Upcoming Webinar Hosted by Xtalks comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

The initial US$267 million close on this round also had participation from existing partners Fidelity China Special Situations PLC, 5Y Capital (formerly Morningside Venture Capital), Clearvue Partners, and Eight Roads, among others, bringing the company’s accumulated capital raised to over US$1.0 billion and post-money valuation to over US$5.3 billion.

“Pony.ai is approaching its mission of delivering autonomous mobility everywhere by building technology that allows vehicles to drive safely on public roads,” said Pony.ai CEO James Peng. “With new investments that support our growth and deepened partnerships with our existing investors, we are quickly advancing toward future mobility and bringing autonomous vehicle technology to the global market.”

“We see a significant global opportunity for autonomous vehicle technology,” said Olivia Steedman, Senior Managing Director, TIP, at Ontario Teachers’. “Pony.ai’s leading technology and deep, strategic understanding of the sector have helped to position the company as a leader in this space.”

“This is a milestone investment for our global TIP team,” said Ben Chan, Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific, at Ontario Teachers’. “We are very excited to be part of Pony.ai’s growth story across the globe.”

Since its establishment in December 2016, Pony.ai has been committed to revolutionizing the future of transportation by building safe and reliable solutions for autonomous mobility. The company partners with top global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to standardize and commercialize autonomous technology.

Pony.ai has been offering its Robotaxi services to the general public in major cities across the U.S. and China, serving thousands of riders – and covering more than 3.5 million kilometers autonomously – since 2018. Pony.ai is also working closely with OEMs, tier-ones, and logistic companies to develop robotruck solutions targeting the long-haul logistics market.

“We are honored to welcome new partners to join our mission of delivering autonomous mobility on a global scale by building safe and reliable self-driving vehicle technology,” added Mr. Peng.

About Pony.ai

Pony.ai is a technology company building safe and reliable autonomous driving technology. Founded in late 2016, Pony.ai has been a pioneer in autonomous mobility technologies and services across the U.S. and China, spearheading public-facing Robotaxi pilots in both markets. Pony.ai is committed to creating a safe and sustainable mobility future by delivering autonomous mobility everywhere.

About Ontario Teachers’

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (Ontario Teachers’) is the administrator of Canada’s largest single-profession pension plan, with C$204.7 billion in net assets (all figures at June 30, 2020 unless noted). It holds a diverse global portfolio of assets, approximately 80% of which is managed in-house, and has earned an annual total-fund net return of 9.5% since the plan’s founding in 1990. Ontario Teachers’ is an independent organization headquartered in Toronto. Its Asia-Pacific regional offices are in Hong Kong and Singapore, and its Europe, Middle East & Africa region office is in London. The defined-benefit plan, which is fully funded as of January 1, 2020, invests and administers the pensions of the province of Ontario’s 329,000 active and retired teachers. For more information, visit otpp.com and follow us on Twitter @OtppInfo

The press release Pony.ai raises US$267 million in C round, bringing its valuation to over US$5.3 billion comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

London, United Kingdom, September 27, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - Scientists from London based UltraCap Ltd., are in the final stages of developing a ‘green’ solid state battery for electric vehicles that they claim will be 40 times lighter than current Lithium-Ion batteries. UltraCap founders, Professor Vladimir Krstic and Nico Van Dongen, say their new battery, the UltraCapacitor, will be able to charge within minutes and that, eventually, a pocket sized version of the battery will bring us one step closer to emission-free transportation.

The key to Professor Krstic’s invention is a ceramic-based, high capacitance capacitator that, unlike current chemical-based solid-state batteries (such as the Lithium-Ion battery), is eco-friendly.

Krstic says: “Right now, electric car batteries are acid-based, toxic, environmentally-unfriendly and heavy with a limited life span. Moreover, charging stations remain scarce. Our UltraCapacitor will significantly reduce the long hours currently required to recharge electric cars. It can endure millions of charging cycles, is fully recyclable and contains no environmentally harmful elements. It paves the way for zero-emission transportation worldwide.”

A battery breakthrough
Krstic has already proved that his ceramic battery can contain much more electricity in a smaller size than current chemical based batteries. This is due to a multi-layered capacitator design, containing a ceramic di-electric non-conductor. What happens is a number of these capacitators are daisy-chained together to form a small, lightweight green battery. Using this technology, the release of electricity is not limited by chemical reaction rates, so electric cars can recharge in minutes as opposed to hours. Furthermore, production of this next-generation battery will be cheaper and cleaner, making electric vehicles more affordable in future.

The company is currently developing a prototype that is anticipated to weigh less than 20kg (the Tesla Model S 70kWh battery package weighs 535kg) and deliver five consecutive hours of driving. Once complete, the prototype will be fully tested in an electric car.

Krstic believes the technology can be improved further and that heavy chemical-based batteries will soon become redundant: “We can make the ceramic di-electric much thinner and lighter without losing electrical capacity and create pocket size car batteries in the near future.’ The technology has the potential to revolutionize the way electrical energy is stored and transported. Due to high energy density and small size, it will be possible to charge the device in all regions of the world where electricity is abundant and inexpensive and then transport it to urban areas where it is needed the most.”

UltraCap is currently looking for funding to develop the project further.

About Prof Krstic 
Krstic is co-founder of UltraCap Investment Ltd and a professor at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada with a track record in managing government and private sector funded projects for more than 30 years, Dr. Krstic has successfully completed more than 30 different projects funded by various federal and provincial programs, as well as private sector companies. He is also inventor of several new technologies and has authored and co-authored eight patents in the area of advanced functional ceramics.

Visit http://www.ultracapacitor.info/ for more technical information.

For an exclusive interview with Prof. Dr. Krstic, please call Nico van Dongen at Tel: +(44) 020 3239 4071 (email: nvd@ultracapacitor.info) or Professor Vladimir Krstic at +(1) 613 533 2760 for any technical questions.

The press release UltraCap Creates Revolutionary Lightweight Car Battery comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

New York, USA, September 20, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - BZ Media LLC announced today that InterDrone The International Drone Conference & Exposition held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas Sept 7-9 drew 3,518 attendees from 54 different countries on 6 continents. The event featured 155 exhibitors and sponsors in more than 230 booths. FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta gave the Grand Opening Keynote speech to thousands gathered on the first day.

“The second year of InterDrone leapt over every high bar that the first show had set,” said Ted Bahr, Chairman of InterDrone. “Its success reflects the exciting growth in the commercial drone market and the strong desire of businesses to take part in it. Attendance grew 26% and we had 58% more exhibitors and sponsors than last year. More than 260 media and association partners have helped build InterDrone into the largest dedicated commercial UAV event in the world.”

“InterDrone 2016 took Vegas by storm. Enthusiasts from every state and over 50 countries gathered together to geek out over the latest products and services.  I found myself mesmerized,” said Nathan Tennant, a Blogger and Instructor with UAV Ground School. Anthony Merlino, CEO, Verge Aero added, “We heard such great feedback on the opening day, we literally bought plane tickets and flew across the country to be here for the final days!”

Exhibitors and sponsors included a cross section of the entire commercial drone industry including AeroVironment, PrecisionHawk, Yuneec, Intel, SenseFly, Insitu, Parrot, NovaTel, 3D Robotics, eHang, Autel, AUVSI, Hubsan, C-Astral, Brother, Airbus, SlantRange, Kodak, Flir, Parrot, AEGis Technologies, Sentera, and pavilions from Iowa, North Dakota and Nevada.

“InterDrone has been a great show for us. Traffic has been really good. The people who were coming by were knowledgeable and asking great questions. We feel like the show definitely paid for itself and we’ll be back in 2017,” said Adam Sloane, Founder, BirdsEyeView Aerobotics. John Ferguson, CEO of Saxon Remote Systems added, “Our staff was absolutely exhausted. There were nine of us working the booth and not one person had five minutes to sit down the entire show. The traffic was overwhelming. We were definitely making sales, getting tremendous contacts and generating a lot of interest.”

39 companies announced or showed new products at InterDrone, including Yuneec, PowerVision Robotics, Parrot, Intel, Epson, Flir, Insitu, Lidar USA, Hubsan, Leptron, and Kodak. The showstopper was displayed by Japanese robotics company Prodrone, making its first appearance in the United States, with a large hexacopter sporting two robotic arms with claws capable of carrying 44-pound loads for a flight time of up to 30 minutes.

InterDrone featured the second annual Women in Drones Luncheon networking event which was sponsored by Intel and tripled attendance to more than 180 participants. The show debuted a special session called Diversity Rising: Opportunities for Minorities in the Commercial Drone Industry, sponsored by the State of Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), and held a STEM session called Drones, Software, and Data Analysis in STEM Education – Tomorrow’s Workforce.

The InterDrone Film Festival received more than 300 submissions from 21 countries and winners in six categories were announced at a reception. Frank Shroth, Editor, Dronelife.com said, “There is a tremendous amount going on at the InterDrone trade show!  Exhibitor and attendance numbers were both up substantially and a persistent excitement and enthusiasm level was omnipresent at the conference.”

The technical conference featured 121 classes and panels that were led by 183 speakers. Christopher Karody, Editor, DroneBusiness.center said, “[InterDrone] brought together a ‘who’s who’ from every corner of the drone industry. The very considerable expertise and brainpower was showcased in a non-stop smorgasbord of sessions, keynotes and neat events.  This was one amazing conference and I am proud to have been part of it.”

The InterDrone 2016 Photo Gallery URL is  http://www.interdrone.com/interdrone-2016-photo-gallery

InterDrone 2017 will be held at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from September 18-20, 2017.

More information about the show is at www.InterDrone.com. For information on exhibiting or event sponsorships, please contact Ted Bahr at ted@bzmedia.com or +1 631-421-4158 x101.

The press release More than 3,500 Commercial Drone Professionals from 54 countries Showcase UAV Market Growth at InterDrone 2016 comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China, August 26, 2016 /Xinwengao.com/ - Hertz, a world leading car rental provider, and AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator, have partnered to provide Le Club AccorHotels’ members with special car rental offers, including exclusive benefits, globally. With this partnership, Hertz expands its presence across key global markets. The partner agreement runs until March 2019.

Le Club Accorhotels is the AccorHotels Group’s multi-brand loyalty program for Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery by Sofitel, Novotel, Novotel Suites, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles, Adagio and Thalassa Sea & Spa. Le Club Accorhotels offers its more than 25 million members worldwide advantages and tailor-made services available at every stage of the customer journey. Members from Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Canada will now also be able to enjoy a unique rental experience from Hertz, including:

• A discount of 10% on prepaid and non-prepaid Hertz Classic retail rates worldwide, including Hertz Green, Prestige, Family and Fun Collection vehicles.
• One additional driver at no extra cost.
• One Reward Rental Day for members who enrol in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® program, via receipt of 900 points upon joining.
• Complimentary one-car-class upgrades, depending on the Le Club AccorHotels member tier.
• Five Le Club AccorHotels points per euro spent on car rental with Hertz as a promotion bonus offer to celebrate the launch of the partnership during August. After this period, members will receive three Le Club AccorHotels points per euro spent with Hertz.
• Access to a delivery and collection service (according to Hertz terms and conditions).
  Hertz Gold Plus Rewards tier matching for Le Club AccorHotels Silver, Gold and Platinum members. 

“Our new partnership with AccorHotels Group’s loyalty program represents a significant step for expanding our global reach,” said Michel Taride, Group President, Hertz International.  “We know that Le Club AccorHotels members are highly discerning travellers, and we look forward to consistently offering them a seamless and enjoyable car rental experience wherever they visit around the world.”

“We are very happy about this partnership with Hertz that will offer our members an additional and exclusive benefit. We are permanently working on enriching the experience through Le Club AccorHotels in order to put guest recognition at the heart of the loyalty programme,” said Emanuel Baudart, Chief Customer Officer AccorHotels Group.

About Hertz Global Holdings
Hertz Global Holdings operates the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly car rental brands in approximately 9,980 corporate and licensee locations throughout approximately 150 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz Global Holdings is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental company with approximately 1,635 airport locations in the U.S. and more than 1,320 airport locations internationally. Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost®, Carfirmations, Mobile Wi-Fi and unique vehicles offered through the Adrenaline, Dream, Green and Prestige Collections set Hertz Global Holdings apart from the competition. 

Additionally, Hertz Global Holdings owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen Corporation, operates the Hertz 24/7 hourly car rental business in international markets and sells vehicles through its Rent2Buy program. For more information about Hertz Global Holdings, visit: www.hertz.com.

About AccorHotels
AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 2,500 of the finest private homes around the globe. Benefiting from dual expertise as an investor and operator through its HotelServices and HotelInvest divisions, AccorHotels operates in 95 countries. Its portfolio comprises internationally acclaimed luxury brands including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend,  SO Sofitel, Sofitel, onefinestay, MGallery by Sofitel, Pullman, and Swissôtel; as well as the popular midscale and boutique brands of Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter and Adagio; the in-demand economy brands including ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and the regional brands Grand Mercure, The Sebel and hotelF1. 

With an unmatched collection of brands and rich history spanning close to five decades, AccorHotels, along with its global team of more than 240,000 dedicated women and men, has a purposeful and heartfelt mission: to make every guest Feel Welcome. Guests enjoy access to one of the world’s most rewarding hotel loyalty programs – Le Club AccorHotels. 

AccorHotels is active in its local communities and committed to sustainable development and solidarity through PLANET 21, a comprehensive program that brings together employees, guests and partners to drive sustainable growth.

Accor SA is publicly listed with shares trading on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY) in the United States.  

The press release Hertz and AccorHotels announce their partnership to enrich the benefits offered by the loyalty program Le Club AccorHotels comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.

Shanghai, China (November 22, 2011) /Xinwengao.com/ — Over the next ten years, the Chinese government will invest more than Yuan 100bn (US$15bn) in subsidising the country’s industry and infrastructure for environmentally friendly and alternative fuel vehicles. Around Yuan 60bn will be invested in developing energy-saving technologies, with the remaining funds to be used for the creation of an infrastructure capable of supporting energy saving vehicles in certain cities.The Chinese car industry is maturing and follows other big manufacturers in their investment on electric mobility. The state supports this move by having set an official goal of 500,000 Chinese plug-in hybrids and electric cars produced by the end of 2011. To facilitate this goal, China launches a nationwide programme to install large electric vehicle charging stations. China is on track to lead deployment of this infrastructure in the coming years.

According to MIIT Telematics has been listed as one of the major project in China during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. The future investing will foucs on automotive electronics, information and communication and software solutions. It is expected that total market value of China Telematics industry will be more than 10billion USD and China will be the largest market for telematics services. However the telematics segment in China is still far from fully developmed owing to the lack of industry involvement and integration. Especially, the progress of consumer telematics development is laggard in China.

China 2012 Electric Vehicle Forum garthering 200+ OEMs, Enterprise decision makers and China government officers, focusing building Chinese style sustainable EV infrastructure , Telematics technology, and strategic plan.

We building a precious communication platform of technology exchange, business partnership and market development.

Conference Website: www.chinaevforum.com/2012/index.asp.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Ale Xu
  Tel: +86 21 5180 7955
  Fax: +86 21 5180 7791
  Email: ale@being-consulting.com
  

The press release Shanghai To Host China Electric Vehicle Forum 2012 comes from Xinwengao.com press release distribution and journalist media database service in China.