Jan 12/EqualOcean/, From 11th to 13th of January, the China EV100 Forum was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing under the theme of "Automobile Industry Revolution and Coordinated Development in Transportation, Energy, and Urban Cities". This forum focuses on worldwide zero emission trend, the rapid development in EV, structural transformation in energy system, blueprint for future transportation, key technology advancement for next-generation vehicles, automotive intelligence and the amelioration of connected vehicle, core supply chain cultivation, automobile production, structural transformation in car industry, and industrial policy adjustment.

XU Heyi (徐和谊), Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of BAIC Group (北汽集团) mentioned the following four points in the forum:

1. The zero-emission trend globally will promote the brisk-paced advancement of EV

As human civilization advances, the consequences of excessive carbon emissions had given leaders worldwide continuous headache. The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization revealed that global warming continued in 2018, so as the rise of the sea level, frosting, and warming of the ocean; the frequency of extreme weather appears to be increasing worldwide. According to UN, 2018 has already ranked Earth's 4th-warmest year on record, and the Arctic Circle's temperature reached 32 Celsius degrees. Report of polar bears have no ice to play and ended up homeless won an army of attention worldwide. The rising global temperature and the worsening climate are the chain reactions caused by excessive carbon emissions.

Research shows that the exhaust emissions of fuel vehicles account for about 14% of global carbon emissions. The huge pressure from an environment and high emission level reminds us that the electrification of traditional fossil fuel vehicle is an inevitable choice for us. Apart from Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway and other countries' announcement of the "timetable for the ban on fossil fuel cars", in July 2018, the United Kingdom launched the "Zero Pollution Plan", promised that by 2030, at least half of the new cars in the United Kingdom and 40% of trucks must achieve ultra-low emission level. In October 2018, at the "C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group", mayors from 12 major cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles and Copenhagen jointly promised to achieve zero emissions by 2025. At the same time, Electrify America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, announced that it will invest USD 200 million in infrastructure construction of cars to achieve zero-emission in July 2019. Comparing to 2017, these reactions and moves indicate that the promotion of EV is switching from barely blueprint leaders discuss frequently, to something being realized to reality.

2. Technological progress and the aspiration of low-carbon living push full-scale vehicle electrification

By the end of November last year, the accumulative production and sales of alternative fuel vehicles both broke the record of 1 million units in China (More on "Take a Breath Amid the EV Frenzy, Think, and Further March Ahead"). Judging from the status quo, many people believe the EV market in China is at its prime. The chairman of BAIC Group also approves the opinion, while remains calm and suggested that the booming in terms of volume does not necessarily express the real progress of the industry.

Among the 38 pure EV models listed in the 12th batch of alternative fuel vehicle catalog released in 2018, 34 with a battery life of more than 300 kilometers, and 15 of 400 kilometers, accounting for 89% and 40% respectively. Mileage of some models has peaked 500 kilometers. The reassuring figures and records are rapidly dispelling the anxieties consumers are having.

In the top 20 cities, private alternative fuel vehicle ownership has reached 80%, indicating that alternative fuel vehicle is receiving increasing recognition from the public. Driven by technological advancement, car electrification and the pursuit of a low-carbon lifestyle, the comprehensive energy transformation is at the crucial point leading to great momentum.

3. Energy sector development provides favorable conditions for the integration of EV and Connect Vehicle Technology

At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, President Xi Jinping proposed for the first time the initiative build a global energy network to satisfy the demand for clean and green energy worldwide, and to provide a Chinese solution to solve common problems facing humanity. The advanced global scale intelligent grid under continuous improvement and upgrade allow the integration between the alternative fuel vehicle-powered facilities, such as EVs, and the main power grid. The country's progress in intelligent energy network provides good infrastructural conditions for the full-scale electrification and further development of EV.

At present, China's EV industry is entering the 2.0 era development. 2.0 era begins the integration of EV and Connected Vehicle Technology. The future direction of the industry is no doubt lying in full-scale electrification, integration of EV and Connected Vehicle technology, green energy development and intelligence in almost every field. Hence Chinese car manufacturers should further accelerate upgrading core technologies, integration of Connected Vehicle technology and EV, and strengthen cross-sector cooperation in the EV industry.