Developing New Energy Vehicles Can't Just Use "Emigrationism"

In 2010, it was called the start year of China's new energy vehicles. The "New Energy Vehicle Development Plan" is in full swing, and domestic manufacturers scramble to bring new energy vehicles just out of the pot to consumers.

New energy vehicles mainly include hybrid vehicles, pure electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. However, compared to the booming demand for hybrid cars and pure electric vehicles, the road to commercialization of fuel cell vehicles is still unclear, and it is still in an early stage of infancy.

Despite this, Ming Pingwen, general manager of Xinyuan Power Co., Ltd., still has full confidence: “The ultimate goal of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the future development of automobiles has not changed.” For the development of fuel cell vehicles, he believes, “I don’t get all the technology out of the way. Well, then wait for the market to start step by step, not as I follow the market step by step."

Fuel cell vehicles are indispensable. "The current direction of fuel cell vehicles is not to commercialize them tomorrow, but to reserve the core competitiveness and gradually commercialize the process of promotion." Ming Ping-wen seems to compare with lithium batteries, fuel The battery has an inherent advantage. "Lithium batteries want to mention energy density as high as the fuel cell is difficult." The battery has three essential basic conditions: reaction site, oxidant, and reducing agent. For fuel cell vehicles, as long as carrying two prerequisites (reaction place, reducing agent that is fuel) can be, because the oxidant is oxygen in the air; and lithium batteries must be all three. Therefore, the longer the driving range, the more obvious the advantages of fuel cells.

Therefore, despite the controversy over the new energy vehicle's technical route, Ming Pingwen does not believe that the country will weaken its investment in fuel cell vehicles because it attaches importance to pure electric vehicles. He judged that “if a pure electric vehicle develops well, it will take up a portion of the market in the future, that is, consumers who only use short-distance commutes. Fuel cell vehicles are also solutions for long-distance travel and quality of life in the future.” From the industrialization route In other words, Mingping Wen firmly believes that fuel cell vehicles will be industrialized on the basis of pure electric vehicles. "This stage must be followed by pure electric vehicles, and the chassis and major systems of automobiles must be turned into pure electrification."

When it is indispensable to enter the homes of the people, a question of great concern naturally flows out of fuel cell vehicles. When will they be able to fly into the homes of ordinary people? In this regard, Ming Pingwen gives two time nodes: First, in 2020, the small-scale commercialization of fuel cell vehicles, sold worldwide 100,000 to 200,000; another time node is 2050, when the car production is expected to only pure electric And fuel cells, both 50% each, no longer produce any fuel cars.

The main problem now facing is still the reduction of costs. According to Ming Pingwen, the key is still the expansion of the market and the improvement of technology. It is understood that the current industrial level of fuel cell vehicles is to produce 100 units a year. In this case, the cost is certainly high. In response to the current development of the new energy automotive industry and hydrogen fuel cell technology, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce New Energy Chamber of Commerce submitted proposal proposals to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, raising the subsidy for fuel cell cars to 600,000 yuan; and the bus passenger subsidy to 1.6 million yuan. Directly funded the construction of hydrogen refueling stations or subsidies and policy support for the construction of hydrogen refueling stations.

In this regard, Ming Ping Wen thinks "very necessary." He believes that the reduction in the cost of fuel cells first depends on the expansion of the market.

The quick success and instant benefit of the current fuel cell car and the “everyone can feel it” are obviously still far away. Ming Pingwen stressed that the target market for fuel cell vehicles cannot be defined as the consumer group of traditional cars that produce 20 million vehicles a year.

Ming Pingwen believes that foreign companies currently determine the R&D target of fuel cell vehicles as having the same reliability and safety as conventional fuel vehicles. He believes that such a one-stop R&D goal is unreasonable. “Once this goal is confirmed, the R&D tactics will be adjusted according to it. For example, all parts and components have to find the strongest companies in the field to do so. The cost of fuel cell vehicles thus made is staggering.” For example, he said, “Honda The fuel cell vehicles produced by the company are close to all the performances of traditional cars. The cost per vehicle is as high as 8.9 million yuan.” Therefore, Mingping Wen’s point of view is: “I'm not going to fix the technology and wait for the market. Step by step to start, not as good as I follow the market step by step."

Xinyuan Power now strives to become a car factory and hopes that they will use the new R&D thinking to make fuel cell vehicles. On the other hand, the new source of power also hopes to promote the use of non-car market, the fuel cell down the industrial chain to do a good job. From the level of understanding and synchronization with the development of society, but also depends on the substantial upgrade of the level of technology. In recent years, Dalian Petrochemical Engineering Company's continuous launch of energy-saving and environmental protection projects has not only attracted attention, but has also led to the increasingly clear and long-term business focus of the company’s multi-faceted business operations.

Breaking the mind to impede the development of China's fuel cell vehicles, it is most important to break the barrier of thinking. “We are accustomed to spending money to buy a perfect drawing and start mass production again, thereby eliminating the need for a long-term investment in the research and development stage.” Ming Ping-wen believes that relying on this comedian to develop new energy vehicles, and Not desirable.

The key issue is that at least four phases of concept drawing, refinement (reduce parts and increase reliability), technology integration, and industrialization development (process manufacturing) cost the lowest minimum efficiency. For the new source of power, these four stages are all being done, but Ming Ping-wen said that the current relative shape is still in the second stage. "And foreign countries have reached the third stage." He said.

At present, only SAIC Motors has invested in fuel cells in China. However, Ming Pingwen has confidence in the leap-forward development of the Chinese auto industry. “Now more than half of China’s oil consumption depends on imports. When the price of oil continues to rise, when the country adds to its carbon emission targets for cars sold by automakers, car companies will realize the importance of developing fuel cells.”