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December 16, 2015 11:20 am
Ex-Cisco tech chief joins Chinese electric carmaker
Richard Waters in London
Padmasree Warrior, strategic advisor for Cisco Systems Inc., speaks during
the 2015 Bloomberg Technology Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S.,
on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Warrior discussed the outlook for company
software. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg *** Local Caption ***
Padmasree Warrior©Bloomberg
Padmasree Warrior, one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent female executives
, has signed on to run the US arm of Chinese electric car start-up NextEV,
in the latest sign of the auto industry’s surging demand for software
talent.
The former head of technology and strategy at Cisco Systems said she planned
to expand a small research and development centre in Silicon Valley to 400
people by the end of next year.
Software has become a key battleground in the auto industry as carmakers
race to develop autonomous vehicles, as well as more advanced information
systems in cars and ways to reach customers online.
NextEV, whose backers include prominent Chinese and US investment firms
Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital, plans to launch a high-performance “
supercar” by the end of 2016.
Like electric car pioneer Tesla Motors, it aims to use technology honed in a
high-end vehicle to move into the mass market, with a passenger car slated
for launch first in China at an unspecified date.
Ms Warrior said software would play an important part in disrupting the
existing auto industry. “There’s an opportunity to rethink not just the
business model, but also the value chain in owning a car,” she said.
NextEV is looking at ways of using the mobile internet to “improve the
experience of owning an automobile” she added, without giving any more
details. Current car owners were frustrated by experiences like taking their
vehicle to a dealer for an oil change and their inability to deal directly
with the manufacturer, she said.
Software plays a key role in Tesla’s vehicles, for instance in its
information and entertainment systems, viewed on a large screen in the
dashboard of its Model S sedans. It also uses over-the-air software updates
to constantly improve its cars, including an update this year that brought
autonomous driving features like landholding on highways to its existing
fleet. Tesla has also fought against laws in some US states laws in the US
that make it hard to circumvent dealer networks and sell directly to
consumers.
Nextev TCRs Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet JR drives during the final race
of the 2015 FIA Formula E London ePrix championship at Battersea Park in
London, England, on June 28, 2015. AFP PHOTO / IAN KINGTON (Photo credit
should read IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)©AFP
A former chief technology officer of Motorola, Ms Warrior was passed over
for the top job at Cisco earlier this year and left after a management
reshuffle by new chief executive Chuck Robbins.
NextEV faces competition from several electric car start-ups, as well as
Tesla and vehicles from several established car companies. Collapsing oil
prices have also cast a cloud over electric vehicles, at a moment when
carmakers hope that demand is about to take off after a slow start.
Ms Warrior said that concern about global warming would lead younger buyers
in particular to look for alternatives to petrol vehicles, even with petrol
prices low. “The market will be big enough — there will be many players,”
she said.
The former Cisco executive said she had also considered the education
industry before deciding on electric cars. “I wanted to take on something
that would tackle a big problem we all face,” she said. | W***n
发帖数: 11530 | 2 Why do business in Silicon Valley?
it's a hi cost area |
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