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19-06-2007
Chinese
auto manufacturers will use more resources to
develop commercial vehicles that use alternative
fuels such as natural gas, mixed fuel and fuel
cells. This is part of the new energy vehicles
project, from the High-Tech Research and Development
Program of China, or the 863 Plan.
Ouyang
Minggao, director of Tsinghua University's Department
of Auto Engineering, says commercial vehicles'
power technology should innovate step by step.
At present, China has 220,000 natural gas vehicles
and over 700 gas stations, which help save 1.5
million tons of petrol per year. Ouyang believes
hybrid cars will be popular in the near future
and those using fuel cells won't be produced
on a large scale until 2020.
But
alternative fuel commercial vehicles can be
developed based on the current platforms of
manufacturers, rather than starting from scratch.
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