Recently, BMW announced that it will produce the last twelve limited edition V12 models in June, and this batch of cars sold only in the US market is called "Final 12", which is the final song of BMW's 7 Series V12 model, and it is also the best song of the entire BMW brand. On the 750i in 1987, BMW used the V12 engine for the first time, representing BMW's flagship technology in the field of internal combustion engines. 35 years later, in the context of the transformation of the world's energy structure and the development of new energy vehicle technology, the era of V12 seems to be coming to an end.
The withering of the internal combustion engine – not alone
In fact, the argument that the internal combustion engine is dead has long been heard. The first is that countries continue to tighten environmental protection policies, such as the mainland will eventually achieve the withdrawal of fuel vehicles from the market in 2050, and gradually achieve the elimination of fuel vehicles in sub-regions before that. Other major countries in the world have also roughly set their automotive energy transition plans for between 2030 and 2050.
Secondly, car companies are also very enthusiastic about the transformation of new energy under the influence of policies and public opinion, such as Audi said that it will stop production of fuel vehicles in 2033, Honda has set this time point in 2040, and the transformation plans of other car companies are roughly the same. Even motorcycle makers like Kawasaki are aggressively pursuing hybrid strategies to balance consumer and environmental requirements.
From the four-cylinder engine on the new generation of C63 AMG to the final roar of today's BMW V12, it is not difficult to see the inability of the internal combustion engine in the face of the times, facing the same situation as the original good stallion facing the steam locomotive.
The rise of Teslas – new challenges
"At that time, the first Teslas were still leaking rain, and the second-hand residual value of my car may be more than 200,000." This is Han Han's ridicule of buying Tesla in an interview, but we can't deny that Tesla has become the most successful car company in the world.
In 2021, Tesla's market capitalization will exceed the trillion-dollar mark, nearly four times more than second-place Toyota. Sales models and products closer to the future have enabled Tesla to achieve overtaking in curves within a decade or so, becoming a veritable industry leader. At the same time, Chinese car companies such as Weilai, Ideal, and Xiaopeng have also seized the outlet and are currently in the position of 10 to 30 in the global car market value. Today's market environment requires traditional car companies to seek transformation faster to cope with the new market environment.
A game of two dynamics – what the future holds
The future belongs to new energy sources, which is a definite conclusion, but how long is there in that era, or how much time is left for internal combustion engine enthusiasts?
First of all, the first problem facing new energy vehicles is the shift in the attitude of the government. Taking the mainland as an example, according to the latest policy, the subsidy standard for new energy vehicles in 2022 will decline by 30% on the basis of 2021, in addition, the subsidy policy for the purchase of new energy vehicles in 2022 will be terminated on December 31, 2022, and vehicles licensed after December 31, 2022 will no longer be subsidized.
This means that the development of the new energy automobile industry will move towards a more standardized road, such as Wang Xiaolin or Jia Accountant, who attempt to make profits by using policies or pursuing outlets, and some car companies that have created qualified products will also usher in a rise in car prices due to subsidies, thus affecting profits. As a result, the sales of new energy vehicles will be hindered in the near future, but in the long run, a more standardized market will make the future continue to develop in the direction of new energy vehicles.
Secondly, charging difficulties and winter power loss has always been the main problem of new energy vehicles, the root is still the infrastructure and basic technology deficiencies, the popularity of charging piles, the development of fast charging technology is an important limitation of the current development of new energy vehicles, when users find that the inconvenience caused by new energy is greater than the convenience, it will naturally turn to other products. At the same time, President Akio Toyoda's warning on the burden of new energy vehicles on the country's electricity is also worthy of our attention, which also introduces the discussion on the development of new energy vehicles into a more complex political and economic interest game field.
Finally, the alternative to the electric motor is the main direction of some car companies, Toyota itself is the promoter of hydrogen power, and the appearance of its hydrogen-powered Corolla car shows us a new path
In fact, we are currently at the historical juncture of energy conversion, from horses to steam power to gasoline power, which is a trend of historical development, and in the future, the best outcome of the internal combustion engine may only exist as a niche hobby. Now, all we can do is seize the moment, after all, many car companies are still launching many attractive new cars.