China goes gung-ho for EVs The number of China-related 'Leccy Tech stories seems set to increase. Why? Because the Chinese government apparently wants to see 500,000 – yes, half a million – hybrid and electric cars and buses roll off the nation's production lines by the end of 2011. Last year, China produced 2100 of them, making that a dizzying rate of …
There are already a huge number of electric bikes (essentially an EV scooter) in urban China. So I wouldn't be surprised if they've got more experience in this field than the US corporations.
The smog in Beijing is terrible. It's like fog. Anything that can clear it up is a good thing.
of a hundred million Chinamen. Look at what they accomplished to host the Olympics. OK, so it's a totalitarian state, BUT; they do have the ability to get things done. And just think if they all jumped up and down at the same time. The helicopter 'cause after jumping up and down, they have to follow up.
The choice for using less efficient batteries seems like a good decision to me.
I don't really understand why the other car manufacturers did not start with a simple lead-acid battery that can easily be swapped out with other technologies, as they became cheaper. Such cars could be offered at different price points for different consumers.
- cheapo lead-acid for the house-wife who is merely getting around town
- expensive lithium-ion for the long-distance commuter
- various other technologies for the middle-of-the-road other sweet spots
Every auto-parts store could stock different battery types and people could just go in and swap out 10 or 12 modular batteries, when they need, and allow people to choose to upgrade their batteries. They could even double as charging stations and merge with Star Bucks to offer coffee and wi-fi!
The reason why is very simple, they see a huge market opportunity with existing companies very slow and stangnate to move to EV tech..........just like Jap cars used to be percieved as bad quality etc but are now premium soon enough the chinese will step up to the plate with quality products that are safe it just takes a few models to get it all right and if need be they'll pull talent from europe etc to make all the designing and engineering happen.
Lots of car companies have jumped the shark thats why they are now spiraling the drain and china is preparing to step up to the plate dumping old tech and moving to EV. I'm sure plenty of car companies are paying attention to what china is upto as they are a looming (but not yet imminent) threat to their established markets.
In my city of Wuhu, Anhui (China) - pretty much every single taxi (about 50% of the cars on the road here are taxis) run on CNG (compound natural gas) and if you take a look at the busses you will see that most have a CNG sign on them also. So most vehicles on the road are already low pollution, and the taxi drivers love the gas option because it is so cheap compared to petrol.
I do remember a bumpy time when taxis were first forced to install gas while I was in Beijing around 6 years ago - everyone got the cheapest unit installed to comply with regulations and taxis trying to run on the gas kept cutting out and pushing the button to just switch back to using petrol. But with the excellent savings to be made then taxis soon switched over to better gas units.
I suspect a similar trend will take place with electric cars - if it is cheaper than CNG, then they will want to switch to the most cost effective option. Traffic is pretty slow within all the cities - so who really cares about top speed...
"Of course, the switch to e-cars may also result in more smoke and noxious gases being pumped out by the coal-fired power stations that generate the bulk of China's electricity, but - hey - one bridge at a time."
That would be more than offset by larger decrease in emissions from tailpipes, so net emissions would decrease (for the same number of vehicles on the road). I mention it because it's sort of the whole point.
@Greame Sutherland:
> "The smog in Beijing is terrible. It's like fog."
That's where the name came from ...SMOG = SMoke + fOG. And, yes, I've been to Beijing, too.
In the UK the government is too busy in it's magnanimous quest to save the planets economies to cease the opportunity and invest in the electric car and other green industies.
Once the public funds have been exhausted buying the intrepid banks toxic assets and paying Freds pension, we'll be left with a diminutive investment budget.
Our battery technology investment will extend to a low interest business loan to a man with a beard working from a shed; probably near Cambridge.
Obviously he will invent something minblowingly brilliant. He'll then go back to the government for funding but they'll be too busy/ wrapped in red tape to notice and the banks still won't be lending sh*t.
Then a foreign gentleman with a big handshake and very white teeth will come knocking and make some foreign company a fortune.
The foreign car company will set up in the UK with our favourable euro-zone tax breaks, to the further detriment of public revenues.
Then when the economy takes a downturn again the foreign car company will be looking for government assistance to help mitigate the embarassing dole queue headlines.
The UK, the biggest tax-haven, pushover county in the World. We can't even hold a good riot anymore!
Wakey wakey Gordon.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
