According to incomplete statistics, in the first four months of this year, my country's production and sales of new energy vehicles exceeded 10,000 units, reaching 10,501 units, a year-on-year increase of 154%. April alone saw a growth rate of 251%. In May, the production of new energy vehicles reached 3,770 units, a year-on-year increase of 98.32%. Among these, 1,014 were plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 567.11%, and 539 were plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 4.26%; 1,851 were pure electric passenger vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 176.68%, and 366 were pure electric commercial vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 29.21%.
Make reasonable use of batteries to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction
According to reporters, my country's new energy strategy has entered a critical stage of development. New energy vehicles are being launched one after another, their performance is stabilizing, brands are being established, some products are already maturing, and some leading private automobile companies have made new energy products a key focus for their medium- and long-term development.
However, when it comes to new energy vehicles, the topic always revolves around batteries. Whether it's a pure electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a range-extended electric vehicle, batteries are essential power sources.
Currently, there are three main types of batteries used in new energy vehicles: lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries, and nickel-metal hydride batteries. In addition to these three types, there are also different types of fuel cell lithium batteries.
Yang Yusheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, stated that all batteries are chemicals, and if regulations are lax, management is poor, or technology is outdated during raw material extraction and processing, battery production, and waste battery disposal, environmental pollution can occur. For example, while lithium-ion batteries are generally considered more environmentally friendly, the pollution generated during their production and disposal deserves serious attention. Besides the inherent environmental issues of the batteries themselves, using electricity does not necessarily reduce pollution. "New energy vehicles consume the equivalent of 5.5-6.5 kilograms of standard coal per 100 kilometers and emit the equivalent of 7.5-9 liters of carbon dioxide per 100 kilometers. If clean power generation is not used, but instead traditional coal-fired power generation, it's simply a matter of relocating the pollution," Yang Yusheng said.
The development of energy conservation and new energy sources aims to reduce energy consumption and emissions. From a technological perspective, this is inseparable from battery technology and energy recovery technology. Battery safety is equally important. "From October 1st last year to February 14th this year, five Teslas were destroyed by battery fires," said Yang Yusheng. He added that there have also been several cases of new energy vehicles catching fire or even exploding in China.
Battery management is a crucial concept in the research and development of new energy vehicles. Data shows that between 2008 and 2013, most of Tesla's core patent applications were related to battery safety control, involving systems for battery cooling, safety, and charge balance. As of March 2013, Tesla had applied for over 140 such patents, with another 258 pending. Since Tesla uses the high-energy-density, mature 18650 batteries commonly found in laptops, connecting and efficiently managing over 7,000 batteries has become the core technology of battery management. This scene is one of the few blurred shots in the National Geographic documentary series about Tesla's Gigafactory. Now, Tesla is expected to open up this patent, allowing manufacturers choosing batteries in this direction to avoid pitfalls.
Improve charging infrastructure
Advocating for industry resource sharing
Recently, Tesla charging stations were installed and officially put into use at Wangjing SOHO. With nine charging stations, Wangjing SOHO is not only one of the earliest office buildings in my country to have Tesla charging facilities, but also Tesla's largest charging destination in the country. This also marks another solid step forward for Wangjing SOHO in terms of energy conservation and environmental protection in building construction.
Pan Shiyi, Chairman of SOHO my country, stated that construction and automobiles are two of the most energy-intensive industries. As my country's largest developer of Grade A office buildings, SOHO my country has been exploring the most effective ways to conserve energy and reduce emissions. Tesla's zero-emission green mobility concept perfectly aligns with SOHO my country's advocacy of green building.
In reality, most traditional automotive giants possess substantial reserves in pure electric vehicle technology and talent. The launch of Tesla's pure electric vehicles has completely disrupted their previous expectations of not wanting to relinquish the lucrative traditional gasoline-powered vehicle market. Simultaneously, several provinces and cities have announced new energy vehicle subsidy policies, outlining their respective promotion targets, infrastructure construction plans such as charging stations, subsidy standards, tax incentives, license plate policies, and other related preferential policies, indicating that new energy vehicles are entering a "fast track" of industrialization.
However, compared to traditional automobiles, the current global production of new energy vehicles is still very small, with publicly available data showing it accounts for only 0.3% of the global market share. In mid-June, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that Tesla would open up all its patents for the development of electric vehicle technology. Tesla will not file patent infringement lawsuits against anyone who wants to use Tesla's technology in good faith. Musk stated that Tesla's real competitors are not other electric vehicle manufacturers, but traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, and he hopes to use this move to promote the development of the entire electric vehicle industry.
"The slow development of new energy vehicles is largely due to the inadequate market infrastructure. Most consumers are taking a wait-and-see approach, and regional disparities in national subsidies for new energy vehicles have also raised concerns among some consumers. Furthermore, the inherent limitations of new energy vehicles, such as battery issues, limited model and brand choices, unstable safety performance, and high prices, all deter consumers," noted Zhong Shenhua, a transportation industry researcher at the China Business Intelligence Network Industry Research Institute.
However, some insiders pointed out that "the promotion of new energy vehicles is indeed facing many difficulties, such as the lack of synchronization between policies and measures in different cities, the insufficient variety of products, the difficulty of charging, the lack of application procedures and responsible departments for the installation of private charging piles in most cities, and serious local protectionism, all of which have become obstacles to the development of new energy vehicles. But the current severe smog and the growing calls for environmental protection have provided a strong impetus for the promotion of new energy vehicles."
