In the first half of this year, my country's production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 177,000 and 170,000 units respectively, representing year-on-year growth of 125% and 126.9%, maintaining a sustained medium-to-high-speed growth momentum. Benefiting from the booming development of new energy vehicles, the demand for power batteries is increasing daily. Meanwhile, South Korean power battery manufacturers are facing obstacles in China, and the government is increasing its support for the domestic power battery industry, providing the sector with a rare opportunity for development. Under government protection, the growth of power batteries is assured in the short term.
Currently, the most common type of power battery on the market is the lithium battery, which has the widest application and a relatively mature industry chain. Besides lithium batteries, other power batteries include fuel cells and supercapacitors. Given the positive development trend of power batteries, fuel cells are expected to experience rapid growth.
A fuel cell is a device that directly converts the chemical energy of fuel and oxidant into electrical energy through an electrode reaction. It boasts advantages such as high energy conversion efficiency, long service life, low maintenance requirements, and the ability to continuously supply high power. Fuel cells offer significant advantages in new energy vehicles, achieving driving ranges comparable to those of gasoline-powered vehicles.
In developed countries such as Europe and the United States, fuel cells have made great progress in recent years. Well-known automakers such as GM, Ford, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz are developing and operating fuel cell electric vehicles, and a small number of fuel cell electric vehicles have already been launched on the market.
The commercialization of fuel cell vehicles is expected to accelerate next year, as the U.S. Department of Energy predicts that the cost of fuel cell systems will drop to $30 per kilowatt by 2017, comparable to the cost of internal combustion engines. This continuous reduction in fuel cell system costs will greatly promote the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles.
With the support of relevant policies, my country's fuel cell vehicle industry has also made significant progress, initially mastering the core technologies of fuel cell stacks and key materials, power systems and core components, vehicle integration and hydrogen energy infrastructure. However, it is still significantly behind foreign countries in terms of fuel cell engine power and key components, and there is still much room for improvement in the future.
However, the biggest obstacle to the development of fuel cell vehicles globally is the lack of hydrogen refueling stations. As of the end of 2013, there were only 208 hydrogen refueling stations in operation worldwide, and only 2 in my country.
According to the "China Fuel Cell Industry Analysis Report," global fuel cell shipments exceeded 50,000 units in 2014, a year-on-year increase of 37%, with total installed capacity exceeding 180MW, a year-on-year increase of 7%. Despite the accelerated commercialization of fuel cell vehicles, fuel cells are poised for explosive growth.
In summary, with the strong momentum of new energy vehicles, related supporting industries and technologies will continue to advance, the government will introduce a series of supportive policies, and the large-scale commercial production of fuel cell vehicles will soon arrive.
