SPbPU discussed cooperation with the Chinese company Qingte Group
At Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), a meeting was held with a delegation from Qingte Group Co., Ltd (PRC) — one of China’s leading manufacturers of axles and electric drive systems for commercial vehicles. The Chinese side was represented by Wenxin Liu, specialist for CIS countries from the commercial vehicle axles department, and Xin Xin, manager for Russia from the special equipment department.
The meeting participants discussed prospects for joint research in mechanical engineering, automotive manufacturing, and new energy technologies. Special attention was paid to the development of high‑efficiency electric drive axles adapted to extreme cold and high latitudes of Russia, as well as the design of electric drive systems for heavy commercial vehicles powered by new energy sources. SPbPU representatives presented the university’s competencies in systemic digital engineering, new materials, electric machines, and artificial intelligence for engineering tasks. As an example, Oleg Rozhdestvensky, head of the SPbPU Office of Technological Leadership, cited the successful project of the «KAMA‑1» urban electric vehicle, developed jointly with KAMAZ in just two years — from a digital prototype to a working prototype.
The parties discussed the possibility of opening a joint engineering laboratory based at SPbPU. Such a laboratory would allow testing Chinese products according to Russian standards, adapting equipment to local conditions, demonstrating it to potential customers, and training Russian personnel for full life cycle support of the machinery. The Chinese partners confirmed their interest in localising their technologies in Russia and stated that they consider SPbPU a priority partner among Russian universities.
Following the negotiations, it was decided to form a working group to coordinate interaction, prepare a memorandum of intent, and develop a roadmap for setting up the joint laboratory as well as for submitting applications for bilateral Russian‑Chinese grants. The Qingte Group delegation invited SPbPU representatives to visit their production and laboratory facilities in Qingdao, Shandong Province.