Workers work in the production hall of the Great Wall New Energy Vehicle Manufacturing Base in Rayong, Thailand, on January 12. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Teng
German automaker Volkswagen and Chinese electric car maker Xpeng Motors have teamed up to build cars, Mercedes-Benz will start production of new electric models in China, and BMW delivered nearly 100,000 pure electric vehicles in China last year...... In the field of new energy vehicles, more and more overseas auto giants choose to strengthen cooperation with Chinese partners to lay out the commanding heights of the future market.
After visiting the front line of China's automobile supply chain, the reporter found that from following to leading, the technological innovation generated in China's huge market scale and fierce competition environment has "fed" the world, promoting the formation of a new ecology of the global new energy automobile industry. The Chinese market has also become a new starting point for global car companies to build their future competitiveness.
On February 2, the staff worked in the production workshop of FAW Fodi New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang: What is the difference between a new energy vehicle tire and a traditional car tire?
At the production base of the famous tire manufacturer Continental Continental in Hefei City, Anhui Province, the person in charge patiently explained to reporters that compared with traditional cars, new energy vehicles have higher requirements for tire noise and grip, and put forward new requirements in tire rolling resistance, wear resistance and other indicators.
Continental's R&D team in China has developed special tires for new energy vehicles that meet the actual needs of the Chinese market, and synchronized them to Continental's headquarters in Germany. At the same time, these tires are also supplied to Chinese new energy vehicles sold locally, and traditional European car companies will also use special tires when developing new energy vehicles for the Chinese market.
In the automotive industry chain, similar stories are happening at all stages.
The huge central control screen, "Dalian screen" and human-computer interaction system bring more driving functions and fun, which is the most intuitive impression of many new energy vehicles to consumers. Nowadays, major brands are competing for smart cockpits, but consumers may not have thought that the cool experience requires a higher standard of passive safety system "blessing".
In Feixi County, Hefei City, Anhui Province, Joyson Automotive Safety System (Anhui) Co., Ltd., the person in charge Zhang Huawei told reporters that the "leaping" airbag developed by the company and customers can be popped out in the way of "leaping integrated screen" when the vehicle collides, which solves the problem that the suspended large screen may block the airbag ejection trajectory. In his view, China's huge market size can provide a reliable test for the research and development of new technologies.
Workers work in the production hall of the Great Wall New Energy Vehicle Manufacturing Base in Rayong, Thailand, on January 12. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Teng In Ningguo City, Anhui Province, the reporter visited Anhui Zhongding Seals Co., Ltd., which is deeply engaged in the fields of automotive sealing, vibration and noise reduction, fluid, and air suspension systems. In recent years, the company has promoted internationalization through international mergers and acquisitions and reverse financing, and has set up production and R&D bases in more than 20 countries and regions, actively deploying globalization.
Xia Yingsong, chairman of Zhongding Co., Ltd., said that China has actively developed new technologies and new materials in the new energy vehicle industry chain, and many technological innovations originate from China. He said: "Chinese manufacturers make full use of the advantages of large market scale and multiple product types to verify the adaptability and stability of auto parts, and continue to achieve technological innovation in the fierce market competition and export them overseas." ”
Xia Yingsong introduced that due to the higher requirements for safety of new energy vehicle power batteries, when introducing foreign traditional plastic seals, they are changed to metal materials after market verification, which can avoid the risk of plastic deformation under high temperature conditions. Such technological innovations brought about by the increasing demand for new energy vehicles are emerging one after another, providing valuable experience for the upgrading of the global automotive industry.
Workers work at NIO's European plant in Biotorbagy, Hungary, March 18. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Fan In addition to technology output, China's new energy vehicle industry "going overseas" has also promoted the industrial upgrading of the host country and built a more comprehensive industrial ecology for it. Not long ago, Great Wall Motor's honeycomb energy battery pack Thailand project was officially mass-produced. Cheng Jinkui, president of Great Wall Motors ASEAN region, said that through the construction of the project, Great Wall Motors has changed from a new energy vehicle manufacturing enterprise to a new energy ecological enterprise in Thailand. The local layout of core components of new energy vehicles such as power batteries in China has created the possibility for Thailand to build a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles in the ASEAN region.
Zhang Daxin, general manager of the Hungarian branch of Zhejiang Huashuo Technology, a R&D and manufacturer of core components for new energy vehicles in China, also said that after the company was put into operation in Hungary, it promoted the establishment of a local supply system, bringing more resources and experience to the development of the industry.
The development of China's new energy vehicle industry has not only brought new technologies and new products, but also promoted the development of intelligent manufacturing. In NIO's second advanced manufacturing base in Hefei, the vehicle access platform, known as the "Rubik's Cube", can accommodate more than 700 body bodies, and has a high level of body storage and mobilization capabilities to ensure efficient and personalized production. It only takes 14 days from the time the user places an order to the whole vehicle rolls off the assembly line. In the body shop, more than 800 intelligent robots are busy working, and the high-precision four-door intelligent assembly system can achieve accurate installation of four doors in 98 seconds, with an error of no more than 0.5 mm.
Ji Huaqiang, vice president of logistics operations of NIO, told reporters that as Chinese consumers are more willing to accept innovative products with fast iteration speed, China has become the most competitive and fastest-changing new energy vehicle market in the world, which puts forward higher requirements for efficient production and cost control, and NIO's full-link digital smart factory was also born here.
"For traditional multinational car giants, today's China is the center of innovation-driven progress and innovation to promote competition, and more and more multinational companies will put new product development and launch in China to ensure that their products have a higher starting point. Ji Huaqiang said.