Green-colored EV mesmerizes local and foreign visitors at CIHTE in Beijing
At the 13th China International High-tech Expo (CIHTE), successfully held in Beijing May 27-31, 2010, a mini, green-colored electric vehicle mesmerized many local and foreign visitors. The EV may have been small but captures the bigger picture globally, where experts say development of new-energy vehicles, especially electrically driven, is inevitable. Especially in industrially advanced nations or major urban centers worldwide, the promotion of EVs has become not only exigent but also a socially-conscious policy move.
The E6 BEV launched by Chinese automaker BYD.
EV Demos
Since 2003, seven major cities in China have begun EV demonstration programs, including Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan (Hubei Province), Shenzhen (Guangdong Province) etc., with the State Grid Corporation of China, the state-run power provider, having also begun different evaluations for small, new-energy vehicle operations. So far more than 500 EVs have logged over 15 million kilometers in China, with average inter-malfunction distance being over 3,500 kilometers and average operation-attendance rate of over 95%.
The Beijing 2008 Olympics Games actually turned out to be the biggest EV demo ground ever: some 595 EVs developed by Chinese companies, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV) etc., together logged 3.7 million kilometers, over 4.4 million person/trips.
In early 2009, the Chinese authorities launched an energy-saving, new-energy vehicle demonstration, calling for each of 13 cities (including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing etc.) to adopt at least 1,000 EVs over three years, during which several subsidy programs were to be offered to such cities to join the EV program, eventually aiming to put 60,000 EVs on their urban roads.
Chongqing will see the completion of its first EV recharging station this September, which will promote EV adoption and EV-industry development in the big city, where 22,000 new-energy vehicles (mostly EVs) will ply the roads by 2012, including 40,000 to 50,000 electric passenger cars.
BYD has also successfully developed the F6DM PHEV.
Potential Players
This year`s CIHTE saw Hong Kong-based Euauto Technology Ltd. unveil its BEV "MY CAR" developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A senor manager of Euauto says the debut of MY CAR generated many potential cooperation opportunities between his company and interested Chinese companies, a clear sign of the booming EV market in China.
Euauto builds MY CAR in a factory in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, with four models being available. The BEV can run 100 to 110 kilometers per full charge, compared to 120 to 150 kilometers for the Chery S18 counterpart.
Sobering figures show the need to promote EVs in China, where overall automobile ownership will reach 56.69 million vehicles in 2010 and is forecast to rise to 131 million vehicles by 2020. Cars in China will burn in 138 million tons of gasoline in 2010, and 256 million tons by 2020, accounting for 43% and 57%, respectively, of the national fossil-fuel consumption. Clearly EVs hold huge potential to help China cut fossil-fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Reluctant to burn about 300 million tons of fossil fuel by 2020, industry insiders say, the Chinese central government and Chinese automotive industry must seek new ways to develop alternative-energy vehicles such as EVs. The Guangdong Provincial Government, for example, has announced plans to develop the EV industry as a strategic sector in the province over the next 10 years by building needed economy of economy and adopting world-leading technologies.
EVs being recharged.
An intelligent EV recharging station.
The S18, Chinese automaker Chery`s first locally-made BEV.
Global Consensus
Development of EVs, in fact, has become a global consensus especially amid the challenging energy environment and with the global recession having sideswiped many traditional automakers.
Product-release plans announced by global automakers show the year 2012 to be a brave new world in which many international players will launch EVs, which are expected to leave lingering tire marks on the global automotive industry and market.
The Obama administration is designating EV as a key automotive development target, hoping to see at least one million PHEVs adopted in the nation by 2015.
Japan is even more ambitious, where EV is the core of the national "low-carbon revolution" plan, with the nation having announced plans to adopt 13.5 million next-generation cars, including EVs, by 2020, when Japanese carmakers are scheduled to launch at least 17 BEV and 38 PHEV/HEV models.
Germany proposed a plan late 2008 that over the next 10 years at least one million BEVs and PHEVs will be put on its roads, driving Germany into a new era of EVs.
(by CENS)
