Author: Guan Hongye
From the urban area of Beijing to the Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Stadium, the distance of 200 kilometers is not far, but in terms of geographical environment, it is a step across the edge of the North China Plain and onto the Mongolian Plateau. The altitude rises steeply from more than 40 meters to about 2000 meters, and the scenery along the way is magnificent, and the mountain road is rugged and difficult to travel.
After the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, we personally took a trip to the Winter Olympics. What is valuable is that the car that accompanies us is a Toyota Mirai II hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that has just been used for the Winter Olympic Games, which is also the first media test drive of MIRAI II in China.
Not only a forward-looking vision, but also a humanistic care
MIRAI means "future" in Japanese, which reflects Toyota's expectations for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle FCEV. As early as 2014, as the first person to eat crabs, Toyota launched the first mass-produced FCEV model in the world, and the first generation of MIRAI alone sold more than 10,000 vehicles worldwide, initially confirming the commercial adaptability of hydrogen fuel cell technology.
The second generation of MIRAI, which was applied to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, was launched at the end of 2020. It is mainly used for VIP reception, and operates in Yanqing and other mountain areas, with a total of 140 vehicles. What we test drove was exactly this 1/140.
In 2017, I test-drove the first-generation MIRAI in a closed venue in Tokyo, and we were impressed by the space shuttle-like shape. Six years later, the new generation of MIRAI has changed dramatically. Built on the same GA-L rear-drive platform as the Lexus LS, the new car is longer, wider and more sporty. Whether it is driving or staying for rest, it has received a lot of attention.
The best driving experience is in the starting stage to 60 km, there is no gasoline car gear shift, no electric car abruptness, you can feel the powerful torque, but the power output is silky smooth.
In normal driving, the MIRAI is no different from a medium- and large-sized sedan. If there is a difference, when the H O release button is pressed, the MIRAI drains the water in the middle of the road, adding a lot of fun to the whole trip.
Behind the relaxing ride is the world's top eco-friendly technology. The hydrogen fuel cell technology applied by MIRAI, the power system is mainly composed of hydrogen storage tanks, battery packs and stacks. The main technical difficulty lies in the power density of the stack, power generation efficiency, etc., and Toyota is currently the world's leading one in this technology field.
During operation, the high-pressure hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank undergoes a chemical reaction through the stack, generating an electric current to drive the motor and make the vehicle forward. Its discharge principle can be seen as a reverse reaction of electrolyzed water to form the final discharge "water". Because of this, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are known as the ultimate solution for new energy.
Mirai is a pleasant way to drive from highways, mountain roads to country roads, according to the winter Olympic route designed by the organizers, no matter what kind of road is driven. Endurance of 850 kilometers, hydrogenation as long as 5 minutes, no fear of extreme cold endurance "broken bones", if the relevant supporting facilities are mature, presumably people will be more willing to accept hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
What's even more rare is that we also have the opportunity to meet another star of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games: the Sai Na Welfare Edition.
The name welfare car originated in Japan, mainly to facilitate the travel of some people with limited mobility, so it is also called "barrier-free car".
What's special about the Xena Well-Being Edition is that it can rotate the second row of seats on the right side outward through electric adjustment, and drop to the lowest height while extending out of the car, allowing some elderly or disabled people with inconvenient mobility to easily move between the wheelchair and the vehicle seat. It has greatly helped some people with reduced mobility to get on and off the vehicle.
In our tests along the way, it aroused the strong curiosity and attention of passers-by.
Nowadays, the proportion of the elderly over 65 years old in the mainland has exceeded our estimates, reaching 13.5% of the total population. Judging from the development trend, the mainland will gradually fall into a situation of low fertility rate and aging population like Japan. It is expected that in another 15 years, China's population over the age of 80 will exceed the population aged 20-24.
Hydrogen fuel cells or welfare vehicles, when the mainstream perspective is not concerned, invest a lot of energy and resources, from another side reflect Toyota's humanistic care and forward-looking vision of the environment and society.
Bloom on the stage, grind on the battlefield
"The only regret is that the weather today was not as cold as it was during the race." After a trip, Dong Changzheng, senior executive deputy general manager of Toyota China, said to us with a smile. During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the low temperature in Zhangjiakou reached minus 28 degrees, and by the time we test drove, the temperature in Beijing had already passed the freezing point. "If you test drive MIRAI in the cold, you will have a deeper understanding of the performance of fuel cell vehicles."
As the first Olympic event in history to achieve "carbon neutrality", the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have made the world "carbon" as the end. Not only was the torch powered by hydrogen fuel, but all venues were also 100% green electricity.
In the field of travel, service vehicles are even more refreshing, and data from the Winter Olympic Organizing Committee show that energy-saving and clean energy vehicles account for 85.84% of all vehicles guaranteed during the race. As the first automaker to establish a global partnership with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in the field of mobility, Toyota Motor motor has provided 2,205 vehicles of various types for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Among them, 140 second-generation MIRAI, 107 Costa fuel cell vehicles (including two welfare vehicles), plus more than 200 Beiqi Foton buses equipped with the hydrogen fuel cell system developed by Toyota, "hydrogen" has become the deserved protagonist, realizing the first large-scale application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the history of the Winter Olympics.
In addition, in addition to the race service car, Toyota's self-driving pure electric service car e-Palette was also displayed during the Winter Olympics. As a diversified mobility service platform, Toyota plans to work with other Olympic partners to develop a variety of mobile services for e-Palette in combination with their respective needs.
Although the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have ended, the picture in the memory is particularly clear: the rugged and winding mountains of northern Beijing, the unimpeded Winter Olympic lanes, Toyota cars wearing the Winter Olympic logo shuttle back and forth, efficiently completing the task of event vehicle service.
The data more intuitively restores the scene at that time. From January 28 to February 20 alone, Toyota hydrogen fuel vehicles successfully passed the multi-dimensional challenge: normal operation at a low temperature of minus 28 degrees, 16 degrees climbing of the mountain road without fear, successfully reaching an altitude of 2198 meters, and Toyota's FCEV model has a cumulative mileage of 397,000 kilometers and can circle the earth 10 times.
The data may be a bit boring, if you make a simple image comparison of these data, Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell vehicles applied to this event will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 113,700 kilograms in total.
The frequency of use of high intensity and density, and the high altitude and cold working environment have put forward strict conditions for the first large-scale use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. However, in the process of use, the low-temperature starting performance of Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in severe cold conditions, the climbing performance of steep mountain roads, and the intact attendance rate of equipment have been fully affirmed by the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee.
2205 cars is not a small number, Toyota Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Olympic Department Director Niu Yu introduced to us, in order to ensure that the vehicle operation is foolproof, Toyota united all parties of the business body, plus some Beijing dealers, together to form a large-scale service guarantee operation team. During the service period spanning the Lunar New Year, many people spent Chinese New Year's Eve in preparation for the competition area. It is gratifying that by the end of the Winter Olympics, Toyota's service fleet has achieved more than expected results.
"Whether it is for Toyota Motor, or the first large-scale application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the Beijing Winter Olympics and The Winter Paralympic Games are not only a stage for display, but also a battlefield for tempering." Dong Changzheng said.
In the view of RENFA Media, as one of the few auto companies in the world to promote a comprehensive electrification technology route, Toyota provides parallel collaboration including HEV, PHEV, BEV and FCEV, so that consumers with different needs can find the most suitable choice for themselves when facing different scenarios.
Serving the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is not only a concentrated demonstration of Toyota's all-round electrification strategy, but also a demonstration of the safety, environmental protection and all-weather applicability of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the world's top events, which has completely dispelled many people's doubts. From whether it can be used to how to use it, next, it will enter the stage of large-scale popularization.
The legacy of the Winter Olympics, the opportunity for the future market
On the evening of March 4, the opening of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, the "big snowflakes" once again stunned the bird's nest, and the willows awakened the spring, surprise and emotion were intertwined, pride and self-confidence coexisted, and the ice and snow feast showed the world a more attractive China.
It is precisely because of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games that more and more Chinese like ice and snow sports, "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports", and promoting cold resources to become hot culture and thermal economy, which is considered to be the biggest legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
As the top sponsor of the Olympic Games, Toyota Motor motor not only assisted the Winter Olympics, but also interpreted the brand connotation of "START YOUR IMPOSSIBLE (to say no to the impossible)", leaving a memorable "legacy" for Toyota's development in China and even China's environmental protection cause.
In particular, great progress has been made in promoting the exemplary application of hydrogen energy and accelerating the research and development, production, application and promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
In this process, with the Chinese R&D team as the core, Toyota has for the first time realized the localization of the whole process of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from research and development to production.
Kenji Kwon Teng, executive deputy general manager of Toyota Motor R&D Center (China) Co., Ltd. (TMEC), told us that as early as 2017, Toyota began to conduct empirical experiments on vehicle driving and hydrogen fuel quality in China's use environment by using MIRAI, hoping to explore the possibility of building a "hydrogen energy society" with relevant partners.
Of course, the difficulty is still greater than expected. As the core component of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the development and production of fuel cell reactors is very complex and is still only carried out in Japan. In addition, the planning, construction and management of hydrogen energy infrastructure facilities are also systematic projects, even beyond the scope of an automobile company.
Take the hydrogen tank that stores hydrogen fuel as an example, which belongs to special safety equipment in China, managed by the corresponding departments, and must jump out of the car for cross-industry communication; the material selection, standard setting, and safety experiments of the hydrogen tank are all starting from scratch... In a sense, the large-scale application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles "the first person to eat crabs" has also become a guide for the commercial application of hydrogen energy.
Fortunately, Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan in 2018 accelerated the process. The National Energy Administration also revealed a few days ago that the mainland has made new breakthroughs in hydrogen refueling, and has built more than 250 hydrogen refueling stations, accounting for about 40% of the global number, and the number of hydrogen refueling stations ranks first in the world.
Prior to this, Toyota Motor also established a fuel cell development and design department in TMEC in Changshu, established the goal of using locally produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and finally launched a localized Costa hydrogen engine in Sichuan FAW Toyota.
Looking back, from localized R&D, production, to large-scale, high-intensity applications, none of the links are easy. It reflects that "in the face of challenges, it is not to do what can be done, but to do what should be done", the essence of Toyota's innovative spirit - START YOUR IMPOSSIBLE.
Toyota revealed that after the conclusion of the Winter Paralympic Games, the vehicles and infrastructure involved in the event service will continue to play a role in the local area. "As part of the legacy of the Green Olympics, we will take the Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity to promote Toyota's career in China into a new stage."
The ultimate energy vehicle on the dream list has stepped into reality, and the utopia of creating a green circular economy is no longer far away. In my opinion, 140 MIRAI and 107 Costa fuel cell vehicles, riding on the "Dongfeng" of the Winter Olympics, have fired the first shot at the large-scale development of Hydrogen Energy Vehicles in China.