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The electric car that isn't: anomaly thwarts progress
October 24, 2012, Wednesday
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THE most interesting thing about China's ongoing new energy experiment is that the best-selling electric cars in the country are not even recognized officially as electric cars.
Stuck in this awkward situation are low-speed electric vehicles, which can travel at no higher than 70 kilometers per hour and at a maximum 100 kilometers on a single charge.
With such a top speed, they fail to meet the government basic requirement of 80 kilometers per hour for electric cars. In fact, they are not even mentioned in the Energy-Saving and New-Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2012-20) because their lead-acid batteries don't have what is considered "development potential."
Once described as "rubbish technology" by a top official, such batteries are made from outdated material and generate a much lower supply of voltage than advanced lithium or fuel-cell batteries now being developed for "real" electric cars. But these "nonentity" electric cars have something going for them: low prices that appeal to consumers.
The cars sell for between 30,000 yuan (US$4,700) and 50,000 yuan, compared with prices of 100,000 yuan to 220,000 yuan for state-authorized electric cars after subsidies. In rural areas, where people don't drive long distances to do daily errands, mileage and speed aren't as important as price.
Though the manufacture of low-speed electric vehicles has never been officially sanctioned by the government, there is now tacit agreement that they can be built in places like Shandong Province, which has more than 100 makers of these cars.
Last year, the province produced 68,000 electric cars - including 64,000 of the cheaper-priced, low-speed models - generating 30 billion yuan in sales. A regional standard for low-speed automotive vehicle development issued by Shandong New-Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Alliance was hailed as the first of its kind in China.
Consumers seem to be saying they want these cars, no matter what government policy says. Maybe it's time to heed the public in green car planning. These low-speed electric cars may not represent the future of electric car development in China, but for the moment they offer a viable step in that direction.
Stuck in this awkward situation are low-speed electric vehicles, which can travel at no higher than 70 kilometers per hour and at a maximum 100 kilometers on a single charge.
With such a top speed, they fail to meet the government basic requirement of 80 kilometers per hour for electric cars. In fact, they are not even mentioned in the Energy-Saving and New-Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2012-20) because their lead-acid batteries don't have what is considered "development potential."
Once described as "rubbish technology" by a top official, such batteries are made from outdated material and generate a much lower supply of voltage than advanced lithium or fuel-cell batteries now being developed for "real" electric cars. But these "nonentity" electric cars have something going for them: low prices that appeal to consumers.
The cars sell for between 30,000 yuan (US$4,700) and 50,000 yuan, compared with prices of 100,000 yuan to 220,000 yuan for state-authorized electric cars after subsidies. In rural areas, where people don't drive long distances to do daily errands, mileage and speed aren't as important as price.
Though the manufacture of low-speed electric vehicles has never been officially sanctioned by the government, there is now tacit agreement that they can be built in places like Shandong Province, which has more than 100 makers of these cars.
Last year, the province produced 68,000 electric cars - including 64,000 of the cheaper-priced, low-speed models - generating 30 billion yuan in sales. A regional standard for low-speed automotive vehicle development issued by Shandong New-Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Alliance was hailed as the first of its kind in China.
Consumers seem to be saying they want these cars, no matter what government policy says. Maybe it's time to heed the public in green car planning. These low-speed electric cars may not represent the future of electric car development in China, but for the moment they offer a viable step in that direction.
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