The ninth SAE International Conference on Automotive Intelligence and Connected Technology opens in WEDZ. [Photo/WeChat account:whkfq]
More than 200 experts and industry representatives gathered in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) on Oct 31 for the ninth SAE International Conference on Automotive Intelligence and Connected Technology, which focused on advances in autonomous driving, smart cockpits, intelligent chassis systems, and vehicle-energy integration.
The 2026 conference, organized by Wuhan University of Technology, Dongfeng R&D Institute, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Wuhan University, featured a main forum, 15 keynote presentations, and three specialized sessions.
Discussions covered environmental perception and sensor fusion, human-machine interaction, and intelligent chassis technology. Experts also explored how AI is reshaping vehicle development, how advanced cockpit systems can enhance driving safety, and how electric vehicles can serve as mobile energy storage and grid regulation resources.
The conference highlighted Wuhan's growing role in the intelligent connected vehicle sector, with the city having opened more than 3,829 kilometers of roads for testing, issued 5,463 testing and demonstration permits to 24 companies, and deployed more than 1,000 vehicles for regular autonomous driving tests.
In WEDZ, more than 500 companies are now part of the intelligent connected vehicle industrial chain, and a 23-square-kilometer innovation belt linking university campuses is also taking shape to strengthen industry-academia collaboration.
