(Yicai) Dec. 23 -- Chinese intelligent vehicle companies should accelerate the application of China-made operating systems in new cars, according to the secretary-general of the China EV100.

"Automakers should not repeat the same mistakes of smartphone manufacturers when it comes to OS," Zhang Yongwei said at a smart vehicle technology company conference on Dec. 20. Otherwise, the switching costs and risks would be too great at a later stage, he added.

Car OS not only manage information but also behaviors, so they have much broader applications than smartphone OS. The installation rate of Chinese independently developed OS in cars is below 10 percent, Zhang noted.

"Openness, cooperation, and focus are the only ways for automakers to achieve good development in vehicle intelligence," according to Zhang. "Whoever can create a more open ecosystem will be able to lead in innovation and have faster technological iteration.

"Closed systems are not conducive to the development of intelligence," Zhang said. "We have always called on carmakers and supply chain companies to focus, be open, and cooperate to accelerate the development of intelligence."

When electric vehicles were gaining popularity, the automotive industry's output value and profits were concentrated on batteries. But after entering the intelligent era, chips have also become an important component, Zhang explained.

Therefore, to avoid severe impact from overseas chip supply disruptions, Chinese carmakers should reduce the use of foreign advanced chips and promote the manufacturing of chips which is mature in production technology in the country to increase the proportion of China-made chips in cars, Zhang suggested.

The development speed of intelligence has exceeded that of electrification in cars in China. The penetration rate of EVs in the Chinese market is less than 50 percent, but that of intelligent systems has already exceeded 50 percent. Many fossil fuel cars and new energy vehicles are already equipped with Level-2 assisted driving systems.

Ninety percent of Chinese consumers recently surveyed by Continental believe that autonomous driving is a useful advanced technology, and 82 percent think it will become a part of drivers' daily lives in the next five years.

Eighty-nine percent of the surveyed consumers said that artificial intelligence functions in cars are very important, and 73 percent believe that vehicles are not only means of transportation but also have leisure, entertainment, and work attributes.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione