Today, in the 21st century, the car has become an essential tool for people to travel, and it is also an important symbol to show personal style and taste.
However, with the increase in the number of automobiles, the environmental pollution, energy consumption, traffic congestion and other problems caused by fuel vehicles have become increasingly prominent, triggering people's reflection and change in the automobile industry.
In this context, new energy vehicles came into being, with their clean, efficient and intelligent characteristics, gradually won the favor of consumers, but also led the innovation and development of automotive technology.
Especially in China, after more than 10 years of exploration and accumulation, the new energy vehicle industry has gone from following to leading, and has become an important market and manufacturing base for new energy vehicles in the world.
So, what are the advantages of new energy vehicles? Can it really replace fuel vehicles and become the new mainstream? What opportunities and challenges will it bring us?
1. The rise of electric vehicles: from following to leading
Electric cars are not a new concept, as early as the 19th century, there were attempts to power cars with batteries, even before gasoline cars.
However, due to the technical limitations of the time, the performance and range of electric vehicles were far inferior to those of gasoline vehicles, so they were quickly replaced by the latter and reduced to a niche toy.
It was not until the end of the 20th century, with the global energy crisis and environmental problems that people began to refocus on the advantages of electric vehicles, that is, clean, efficient, and renewable.
Governments and companies have invested a lot of money and manpower in the development and promotion of electric vehicles, trying to break the monopoly of fuel vehicles.
China has played an important role in this process. Due to historical reasons, in the field of fuel vehicles, the mainland has been in the stage of catching up, and if it wants to surpass the Westerners to be the first, it can only find a more advanced technological highland than fuel vehicles - electric vehicles.
In 1992, Qian Xuesen wrote to Zou Jiahua, then Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China, proposing to vigorously develop the electric vehicle industry.
Driven by the country's policy support and market demand, the mainland's electric vehicle industry has developed rapidly, from production to sales, from technology to service, from brand to reputation, and has achieved remarkable results.
Up to now, it seems that the life of many people standing in line with new energy has become longer than that of traditional fuel vehicles. This is an understandable fact, in the two years of the rise of the new energy market, there have been car companies to announce the suspension of production of fuel vehicles.
BYD, GAC, Great Wall, Changan, Audi, etc. have all announced a timetable for discontinuing the production of fuel vehicles.
In September 2020, China's new energy vehicle production reached 5 million units, and in February 2022, it exceeded 10 million units, and it took only 1 year and 5 months to reach a new level of 20 million units.
China's auto industry has made steady progress on the road to achieving high-quality development, ranking first in the world's new energy vehicle production and sales scale for eight consecutive years.
Second, the advantages of electric vehicles: from energy to the environment of a win-win situation
The reason why electric vehicles have been able to make such great progress in a short period of time is mainly because it has incomparable advantages of gasoline vehicles, which are not only reflected in the performance and quality of the car itself, but also in the energy and environmental impact.
From the perspective of energy strategy, the automobile revolution has strongly promoted the energy revolution. Now China is facing the third energy revolution from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
It is estimated that in 2035, wind and solar power generation will account for more than 80% of the installed capacity and more than 40% of the power generation, and the cost of photovoltaic power generation and wind power can be reduced to 0.1-0.2 yuan/kWh.
This means that electric vehicles can harness more clean energy, reduce dependence on oil, improve energy security and efficiency, and reduce energy costs and waste.
From the perspective of environmental protection, the automobile revolution has effectively improved the quality of the environment.
During operation, electric vehicles do not emit harmful exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, etc., which not only cause air pollution, but also exacerbate problems such as global warming and acid rain.
It is estimated that if all cars were replaced with electric vehicles, about 1 billion tons of CO2 emissions could be saved per year. In addition, electric vehicles can also reduce noise pollution and improve the comfort and aesthetics of cities.
3. The challenge of electric vehicles: from technology to market breakthroughs
Although electric vehicles have many advantages, they also face many challenges, which come from the continuous innovation of technology and the continuous changes in the market, which require the electric vehicle industry to continuously improve and optimize itself in order to maintain competitiveness and leading position.
From a technical point of view, one of the core technologies of electric vehicles is battery technology, which determines important indicators such as range, charging speed, safety, and cost of electric vehicles.
At present, lithium-ion batteries are mainly used in electric vehicles, which have the advantages of high energy density, long cycle life, and low self-discharge rate, but also have disadvantages such as limited capacity, high price, and easy thermal runaway.
Therefore, the electric vehicle industry needs to continuously develop new battery materials and structures to improve battery performance and reduce battery costs.
Another core technology is intelligent network technology, which involves the communication, navigation, control, safety and other aspects of electric vehicles, which can enable electric vehicles to achieve higher automation and intelligence, and improve the user's driving experience and sense of safety.
At present, intelligent network technology is still in the development stage, and the issues that need to be solved include data security and privacy, the unification and compatibility of standards, and the formulation and enforcement of regulations.
From the perspective of the market, the competitiveness of electric vehicles depends not only on their own technology and quality, but also on the external environment and conditions, such as the construction and operation of charging facilities, consumer recognition and acceptance, policy guidance and incentives, etc.
At present, there are still some deficiencies in these aspects of electric vehicles, such as the uneven number and distribution of charging piles, the high charging time and cost, the difficulty of repairing and maintaining electric vehicles, and the gradual reduction of subsidies and preferential treatment for electric vehicles.
These issues require coordination and cooperation between the electric vehicle industry and relevant departments and industries to jointly promote the popularization and development of electric vehicles.
epilogue
Electric vehicles are a revolutionary means of transportation, which can not only provide better travel services, but also bring greater energy and environmental benefits, which is the future development trend and direction.
The electric vehicle industry has made significant progress in China, but it also faces many challenges and needs to continue to innovate and improve in order to maintain its leading position and advantages.
What do you think about electric cars? Would you like to try or own one? Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section and share your thoughts and feelings with me.