| 04-12-2007
Perhaps
when the auto world began to find a substitution for oil and put forward the concept
of "new energy", people were anxious about finding an all-round solution
or a technical route. But after many years' development, more and more people
make a consensus that what is needed now is the combination of multiple technologies,
and a diversified energy pattern has taken shape. In
the just ended Challenge Bibendum 2007, this trend was fully reflected. Such an
international technology exchange platform for energy-saving and environment-friendly
energy is relaying a strong signal that new energy vehicles are coming to ordinary
consumers gradually. This
was the second time that Challenge Bibendum came to Shanghai of China. Being different
from 2004, the scale of China's auto market had got sharp increase and the market
has become the "area of contention" of all manufacturers. Just because
of this, this time the Challenge attracted more than 120 vehicles that were equipped
with advanced clean vehicle technology, making Challenge Bibendum much more like
a carnival of diversified clean vehicle technology. Clean
diesel technology is making a new update and is pursuing more effective energy
consumption index. Audi, having produced more than 4.5 million TDI, brought A5
with a 3.0 TDI turbo direct-injection fuel engine that is equipped ULES ultra-low
emission system. This type of clean diesel car further lowers the emission of
nitrogen oxides and is able to meet the most strict emission standard. The
team of batch production hybrid vehicles is expanding and the technology is increasingly
upgrading. Ford brought 2007 Ford Edge plug-in fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle,
which is a plug-in and drivable fuel cell hybrid concept vehicle combining car
hydrogen fuel cell engine and lithium ion cell and adopting hydrogen fuel-cell-powered
series hybrid drivetrain. It cuts down over 50 percent of the size, weight, cost
and complexity of traditional fuel cell system, and will be expected to extend
the life of fuel cell stack to double or even more. In the comprehensive driving
on the road of a city, the fuel economy of the vehicle is 5.74 liter/per hundred
kilometers. Fuel
cell vehicles have new faces too. Tiguan Hymotion and fuel cell Passat Lingyu,
two types of Volkswagen that adopted hydrogen fuel cell debuted in the Challenge.
Fuel cell Passat Lingyu was jointly developed by Volkswagen and Tongji University
in China. At
present, the auto population is around 0.8 billion in the world. It is predicted
that the number will inevitably keep increasing in the future 5 to 10 years. But
now the fuel of 97 percent vehicles in the world remains to be petroleum. In order
to meet global fuel demand, the percentage of alternative fuel has to go up continuously.
There have been lots of solutions for substituting fossil fuel, like biofuel,
synthetic fuel, and electric vehicle, etc. Each of them has made their own achievements
and they have led to energy diversification pattern, but each has their own shortages.
Biofuel is
most close to petroleum, and they could be mixed together easily. But the problem
is whether biofuel is sustainable and whether it is able to substitute petroleum
in a large scale and then meet the demand of vehicles all over the world. Synthetic
fuel is a developing biomass fuel, it can adapt to all the existing engines and
make the conflict with food on raw materials never happen, but synthetic fuel
still stays at laboratory phase. Electric vehicle is all along regarded as the
direction of future vehicle, but it is not clear that which kind of way will be
adopted. Cell technology is getting more and more mature, but more extensive ways
and networks of recharging are needed. The high cost also restricted the marketization
of hybrid and pure electric vehicles, moreover, fuel cell vehicles are confronting
with the problem that how will the hydrogen be distributed and recharged. In
the face of such a pattern, most auto manufacturers selected such a strategy:
make full preparation, and move according to the market opportunities. This is
quite clear from their attitude toward the market in China. Ford
Motor Company inputs about US$7.5 billion in developing clean energy technology
and researching fuel economy improvement every year. Ford reckons there hasn't
been a solution that could be feasible everywhere; the applicability of new energy
technology depends on the markets. Xu Guozhen, Deputy President of Ford Motor
(China) Ltd, said that we cannot say what kind of clean fuel fits China best,
Ford has made full preparation, and in future, Ford will introduce the one that
China market needs. In
the opening ceremony of Challenge Bibendum, Wan Gang, Minister of Science and
Technology Ministry, said that China is looking for and building a new kind of
public transport mode. Perhaps we cannot offer the same private vehicle ownership
as Europe America to the ordinary people in China, but we can build a kind of
transport mode that is not only convenient for travel, but is also clean, environment-friendly,
and comfortable. Now
in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, lots of public transport lines are making
demonstration and trial operation of energy-saving and lower-emission new energy
vehicles, including diesel oil vehicles, natural gas fuel and fuel cell vehicles,
and so on. And the number of exhibited city buses in Challenge Bibendum, being
over 20, has exceeded the previous challenges. The foreign auto circle appreciated
China's city public transport very much. Perhaps
the future auto pattern is not that clear, each country has its own programming
and planning. But the present trend of energy diversification at least enhanced
the confidence of the sustainable development of road traffic in future.
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