Why develop new energy vehicles?

The promotion of new energy vehicles has been vigorously promoted by the state for several years. Although the current ownership is still far behind that of traditional fuel vehicles, it has gained unprecedented popularity. Whether it is automotive bloggers or bloggers in other fields, they are willing to discuss new energy vehicles. However, I found that when netizens discuss new energy vehicles, they seem to be in different worlds, and some have even gone to two extremes. The “fuel-loyalist party” ridicules new energy vehicles, while the “extreme electric fans” despise traditional fuel vehicles.

As a relatively moderate new energy vehicle enthusiast, I do not want to see everyone go to extremes. I still hope that everyone can calm down and rationally view new things. Today, I will share my views on new energy vehicles with you. This article is about 9,000 words long and takes about 15 minutes to read. The main content includes: Why develop new energy vehicles? What types of new energy vehicles are there? What are the advantages of new energy vehicles? After reading, welcome everyone to express their own opinions and have a rational discussion while rejecting abusive language.

Why develop new energy vehicles?

Developing new energy vehicles is a consensus among the world’s four largest economies – the United States, China, Japan, and Europe. They are also all major automobile powers. Various policies and subsidies support the development of new energy vehicles, suppressing traditional fuel vehicles with unprecedented efforts.

If China’s development of new energy vehicles as a newcomer is to overtake in a bend, then why do Germany, the United States, and Japan, as historically renowned automobile powers and leaders, do the same? Do they want to self-destruct?

The answer is what everyone least wants to accept – reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It is not because oil is running out, as oil is indeed a non-renewable resource, but with the development of shale oil, we will not see the day when oil is depleted in our lifetime. However, before oil runs out, we may first encounter the situation where we cannot afford to burn it because the cost of controlling carbon dioxide emissions will be very high, and we cannot follow the old path of emitting first and then controlling. Just as the steam locomotive was eliminated not because there was no coal, the internal combustion locomotive will also be eliminated not because there is no oil.

The greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide causing global warming is a consensus reached by the scientific community long ago and is causing the sixth mass extinction. Continuing like this, the extinction of some species may not seem to have a big impact, and the Earth will not be in any danger. However, this will gradually lead to the deterioration of the human living environment, the most obvious of which is the submergence of low-lying areas, reduced food production, and extreme climates. Therefore, environmental protection is not just about protecting the Earth or other species, but also about protecting humanity itself.

## Reducing Carbon Emissions

Many countries have reached a preliminary consensus to reduce carbon emissions, but there are significant differences on how to achieve this goal. These differences include economic factors (cost increase) and political factors (developed countries limiting the development of developing countries through carbon emission restrictions). Despite these differences, responsible large enterprises have set their own carbon reduction targets, and are making concerted efforts to reduce emissions. The automotive industry, being one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions, is facing increasingly stringent restrictions.

I prefer to focus on the facts rather than discuss environmental protection and carbon reduction in detail. I do not wish to discuss whether new energy vehicles are truly environmentally friendly, as there is much controversy on this topic. Moreover, I am not an extreme environmentalist. I acknowledge the original intention and methods of energy conservation and environmental protection, and I am willing to do what I can to reduce emissions. However, I do not want to sacrifice too many benefits to achieve this goal. If reducing emissions comes at a high cost to me, I would be reluctant to do so. If reducing emissions were an easy task, I would be happy to contribute. If I could also benefit from other advantages while reducing emissions, I would be delighted. I believe that only when the country takes the lead in reducing emissions, starting from large enterprises with more resources and responsibility, can we gradually evolve into a benign cycle that reaches individuals. It should not be forced against personal will, which may cause a backlash.

What are new energy vehicles? How are they classified?

According to the definition from Wikipedia, new energy vehicles refer to vehicles that use unconventional vehicle fuels as power sources (or those that use conventional vehicle fuels and new vehicle power devices). They integrate advanced technologies in power control and driving to form a technologically advanced and innovative automobile. New energy vehicles include four main types: hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV, including solar-powered cars), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and other new energies such as mechanical energy (such as supercapacitors, flywheels, compressed air, and other high-efficiency energy storage devices) for automobiles. Fuels other than conventional gasoline and diesel, such as natural gas (NG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol gasoline (EG), methanol, and dimethyl ether, are classified as unconventional vehicle fuels.

It is evident that the energy sources of new energy vehicles are not so new at this stage, mainly by adopting new types of vehicle power devices which are electric vehicles that are driven by electric motors, either entirely or as part of a hybrid system, which distinguishes them from traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, which are driven purely by internal combustion engines. However, when people usually refer to electric vehicles, they mean pure electric vehicles (BEV), which are electric vehicles powered by batteries. In fact, electric vehicles (EV) are a very broad category.

At present, there are many types of new energy vehicles/electric vehicles, and the ways of classification are also diverse. The following diagram classifies electric vehicles by the source of energy and the degree to which the electric motor is involved in driving:

### 48V Mild Hybrid

Despite the word “hybrid,” actually, the power of the 48V electric motor is small (but much larger than the traditional 12V motor), and it cannot directly drive the wheels. It only replaces the original engine’s 12V start-stop motor, making the automatic start-stop function more user-friendly. It can also achieve temporary shutdown of the engine during constant speed or deceleration, and the 48V motor can quickly raise the engine speed when power is needed again, shorten the phase of low efficiency of the internal combustion engine and achieve the purpose of reducing emissions. This is a improvement made by German car manufacturers in response to the increasingly strict emission regulations of the European Union. It also has some help in improving engine noise and vibration, but the fuel-saving effect in actual driving is relatively limited.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)

Commonly known as “hybrid cars,” HEVs are represented by Japanese cars such as Toyota’s THS and Honda’s IMMD, and Nissan’s e-Power is not to be underestimated.

Although they are all hybrid, the structural differences between Toyota’s and Honda’s HEVs are significant. THS is a planetary gear hybrid structure, and the electric motor and the engine share the output power. They switch the primary output under different operating conditions. Honda’s IMMD is a main-series hybrid structure. The engine generates power with the electric motor and is driven by the electric motor. The engine is only directly driven through a clutch switch in high-speed conditions. e-Power by Nissan is a pure series structure. However, the ultimate goal of these Japanese car manufacturers is to make the electric motor compensate for the engine’s inadequacies and achieve electric propulsion (even full electric propulsion) in the inefficient operating conditions of the internal combustion engine, greatly reducing fuel consumption, especially in urban driving where there is frequent stop-and-go traffic.

It is undeniable that the more fuel the hybrid car saves, the more emissions it reduces. However, hybrid cars have not received strong policy support in Europe, the United States, and Canada, and have hardly enjoyed the benefits of new energy vehicles. In China, only a few cities classify hybrid cars as a separate category – energy-saving cars, with additional license plates and a small amount of subsidies.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)The difference between a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid is the literal meaning. In addition to the gasoline engine, the plug-in hybrid has an electric motor with a larger battery that can be externally charged. For example, the HEV from Two Wuyu becomes a PHEV with this modification, and can enjoy policy benefits. However, most other companies’ PHEVs are not made this way. The simplest way is to attach a motor to the rear axle of the front-wheel drive gasoline car, fill the back seat and trunk with batteries, and use a small motor in the front engine compartment to generate power. This creates a brand new PHEV, which is still a four-wheel drive. Of course, there are many types of PHEV structures, labeled with P01234, which represent the location of the motor, whether it is in front or behind the engine, and whether it is in front or behind the gearbox. The driving experience and fuel consumption performance differ greatly.

PHEVs can be charged, and their pure electric range ranges from 51 to more than 100 kilometers (with the majority being 50+ kilometers). They are barely adequate for general urban commuting with just charging. When driving, they operate like pure electric vehicles, while on longer trips, they can use gasoline. The cost of electricity is low when using electricity, and they are highly fuel-efficient when running on gasoline. In recent years, some newly developed PHEVs have become more and more energy-efficient. However, some PHEVs are tailored more for policy benefits, and their driving experience and fuel consumption performance may be no better than their gasoline counterparts, and may even be worse. Their structures are more complex, and their failure rates are higher.

Extended Range Hybrid Electric Vehicles (EREV) is classified in China as a subset of plug-in hybrids because it is also a hybrid car that can be fueled and charged. However, there are still significant differences between EREV and plug-in hybrids. In terms of driving, the gasoline engine in a plug-in hybrid participates in driving, while the gasoline engine in an EREV only generates electricity, which is completely driven by the electric motor. In terms of structure, many plug-in hybrids are modified based on gasoline cars, while the EREV is first and foremost a pure electric car. The EREV then adds modules such as a range extender, fuel tank, electronic control, and thermal management to the pure electric car base, making it a brand new car with a generator. Alternatively, the EREV is developed on the same platform as pure electric cars.

From a structural perspective, the EREV is a pure electric car with an additional range extender generator system.Extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) is also a type of series hybrid vehicle, similar to Honda IMMD and Nissan e-Power. The characteristic that the EREV is entirely driven by an electric motor makes the driving experience identical to that of a battery electric vehicle at any time. The range extender (engine) only adds some noise and vibration when starting. The battery of EREV is generally larger, and the pure electric range is much higher than that of a plug-in hybrid. It can be driven as a pure electric vehicle in the urban area, and the fuel consumption when discharging or maintaining the battery is lower than that of the same level of gasoline vehicle.

Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

The structure of battery electric vehicles is the simplest, with the battery supplying power and the motor driving. As the energy density of the battery improves, the range of BEVs is approaching that of gasoline vehicles. The biggest problem now is the slow charging and large winter attenuation. If a charging pile can be installed at home, the vehicle can be fully charged overnight through slow charging. However, if there is no charging machine at home or need to travel far, charging becomes a headache where planned charging routes, slow charging, few charging piles, bad piles, and gasoline vehicles occupying the charging piles. The most damaging thing people complain about BEVs online is the charging problem.

Therefore, the development trend of BEVs is to gradually increase the battery to improve the range and to increase the charging power to speed up the charging speed. If the charging speed can be controlled within 10 minutes, then the experience is not significantly different from that of refueling a gasoline vehicle.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

Usually refers to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, where hydrogen and oxygen in the air undergo a chemical reaction (not combustion) in the fuel cell stack to release electrical energy. However, the power output of the fuel cell stack is generally low, so when used in cars, it needs to be equipped with a lithium battery that co-charges and discharges with the fuel cell stack. Doesn’t this structure sound similar to that of the EREV/series hybrid system? Yes, the fuel cell stack is equivalent to the range extender, the hydrogen storage tank is equivalent to the gas tank, and the final driving force comes from the electric motor.Due to the fact that the emissions of fuel cell stack are only water, which is completely pollution-free compared to burning oil, and the hydrogen refueling speed is extremely fast, comparable to refueling with gasoline, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been favored by many people. However, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles also have many problems: high difficulty in hydrogen storage results in inadequate endurance; difficulties in building hydrogen refueling stations lead to high hydrogen refueling costs, and hydrogen refueling stations are not as popular as charging stations; and the hydrogen storage tank + fuel cell system takes up too much space, resulting in low space utilization in the car. This is the fundamental reason why hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been slow to develop, despite enjoying favorable policies and subsidies in various countries.

What Makes New Energy Vehicles Worthwhile?

If new energy vehicles were only for low-carbon purposes, then it would be somewhat unrealistic and limited for ordinary consumers. In fact, besides being more low-carbon, new energy vehicles have many advantages that traditional fuel vehicles do not have, which is also the main reason why some people love new energy vehicles:

Lower Energy Consumption, Lower Daily Operating Costs

It is obvious that Japanese HEVs are fuel-efficient, and the lower the fuel consumption, the more cost-effective it is.

Some PHEVs are more fuel-efficient than their counterparts when using only gas, and if more charges are used, the cost of electricity is only a fraction of the cost of gasoline.

The logic behind EREVs is the same as that of PHEVs. Because the pure electric range is longer, there are more opportunities to use electricity, and there are advantages in fuel consumption when using gasoline.

BEVs can only be charged and used at any time. It is cheapest to charge at home, and it is much cheaper than a fuel vehicle. Although it may waste time to go to public charging stations, the cost of electricity is still cheaper than the cost of gasoline (not necessarily when driving at high speeds or in winter).

Instantaneous Response of Electric Motor, Ultra-Fast Power Response

The output of power is not instantaneous for an internal combustion engine, and the speed needs to be gradually raised. There is a brief delay before higher torque can be output, whether it is starting from zero or accelerating at a constant speed to overtake. Therefore, in order for a fuel vehicle to realize the strongest performance, it needs to rev up its engine first by pressing the gas pedal, and this is difficult to use in daily driving.

This is not an issue for electric motors, which can output full torque at 0 rpm, and power is available immediately with a response speed several orders of magnitude faster. This is the biggest difference in driving experience between electric vehicles and fuel vehicles, and the difference can be felt with a single step on the accelerator. The driver will feel very comfortable, and the disadvantage is that passengers are more prone to car sickness due to lack of psychological preparation. Therefore, many electric vehicles will optimize the throttle calibration or provide more comfortable modes, slowly releasing torque and allowing the acceleration process to have a gradual increase, which is more passenger-friendly.

The Smoothness of Electric Motor Driven System is Unmatched, Outdoing the Best TransmissionThe internal combustion engine has a lower speed range (0-6000 rpm), and the high efficiency range is narrow, so it needs to be matched with a multi-speed gearbox. The speed can be increased and the gear can be lowered to amplify the torque at low speeds, while the speed can be reduced and the gear can be increased to achieve higher efficiency at high speeds.

On the other hand, the electric motor has a very high speed range (0-15000 rpm) and overall efficiency within the speed range is also very high. The efficiency in the daily use range can reach more than 90%, so it can meet daily needs without a gearbox. If pursuing high speed performance (200+ km/h), only a 2-speed gearbox is needed (Porsche Taycan).

Even the best gearbox still has a bumpiness problem caused by intermittent power change during shifting. In addition, there is a lag effect when the turbocharger of the internal combustion engine intervenes, so smoothness during acceleration has always been a big problem for fuel vehicles. However, using an electric motor for driving eliminates the need for a gearbox, and there is no need to consider smoothness during gear shifting. All that is needed is to adjust the torque output curve of the electric motor to be more linear and comfortable. This century-old problem troubling cars is easily solved once and for all.

Pure electric vehicles, range-extended electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles that are completely driven by electric motors have unparalleled smoothness.

Honda IMMD and Nissan e-Power hybrid cars are also mainly driven by the main motor, which has better smoothness and driving experience than the same model of fuel vehicle. Toyota THS is slightly inferior, but it is still better than fuel vehicles.

However, many PHEVs still retain traditional gearboxes. In non-electric mode, they mainly rely on engine output. Although the electric motor also participates in output, the power connection and tuning are more complex, and the improvement of smoothness can be described as difficult to accomplish. Some vehicle models will be better, and some will be worse.

Electric motors can generate electricity, which is more energy-saving for regenerative braking, reduces the wear of brake pads, and has a single pedal mode.

The deceleration of fuel vehicles is mainly achieved through the wear of brake pads. If encountering traffic lights or traffic jams, stepping on the brakes and then stepping on the accelerator to return to the original speed wastes the fuel. Therefore, in urban driving conditions with frequent stops and starts, the engine thermal efficiency of fuel vehicles has been kept at a low level, and energy is constantly wasted through braking, resulting in high fuel consumption.

The electric motor of electric vehicles not only provides power, but also functions as a generator when decelerating. It generates electricity by relying on the forward inertia of the vehicle to drive the motor rotor, then stores the generated electricity in the battery for the next acceleration. This is called regenerative braking/kinetic energy recovery technology. Kinetic energy recovery can greatly reduce the use of brake pads, and energy consumption can be reduced by about 10-20%. This means that only by using kinetic energy recovery technology, the driving range of electric vehicles can be increased by more than 10%, and the fuel consumption of hybrid vehicles can be reduced by more than 10%.

Different new energy vehicles have different designs and intensities for kinetic energy recovery. It can be placed in the brake pedal, for example, using the motor to drag the vehicle during the first half of the brake pedal and the second half using the brake pads. It can also be placed in the accelerator pedal. Moderate braking can be achieved by releasing the accelerator. These two methods do not theoretically affect energy-saving effect, because kinetic energy recovery can always participate in braking.

If the intensity (power) of kinetic energy recovery is strong and all placed in the accelerator pedal, then in 99% of daily non-emergency deceleration situations, the brake pedal can be unused, and acceleration and deceleration can be completed only by opening and closing the accelerator pedal. This is the single-pedal driving mode. Now many electric vehicles offer a single-pedal mode, which some new energy vehicle owners love, but more people cannot adapt to this mode and still have great controversy.

I personally love single-pedal mode. In this mode, the right foot does not need to be moved repeatedly between the accelerator and brake pedals, and the foot will be much more relaxed. Therefore, I think single-pedal mode is especially suitable for road conditions that require frequent braking, such as:

1. Road conditions with many traffic lights in the city;

2. Traffic jams;

3. Mountain roads with many bends that require deceleration immediately after acceleration;

4. Long downhill.

But there is one situation where single-pedal driving can be tiring, which is when driving at a constant speed, such as on the highway, where the accelerator needs to be half-pressed at all times to control the speed accurately, and even lifting the accelerator slightly will slow down the car. The accelerator of a gasoline car does not need to be accurately controlled, and intermittent pressing of the accelerator or even complete release of the accelerator for a short distance is not a problem. Fortunately, this situation is the best use scenario for adaptive cruise control/assisted driving. The task of accurately controlling the speed is handed over to the computer, which can rest and also perfectly solves the biggest disadvantage of single-pedal driving.

The era of performance cars is over, “the more cylinders the better, the bigger the displacement the truer”

Let’s take a look at an interesting joke picture. After Tesla announced that Model 3 Performance was reduced to 340,000 yuan, petrol car enthusiasts, who had previously despised pure electric vehicles, exclaimed that Model 3 was now the real M3.

Gasoline vehicles pursuit high performance at a great cost, requiring excellent engines with multiple cylinders and large displacement to provide sufficient power, and the matching gearbox cannot be sloppy. All of this will take up a lot of space in the front engine compartment, and weight distribution and handling tuning will also become extremely complicated. In contrast, electric cars simplify everything. Gearboxes are no longer necessary, and the power density of electric motors makes them far superior to internal combustion engines, so horsepower is no longer a luxury high above. We can buy high-performance (electric) cars for less money.

I bought an imported Model 3 performance version for 600,000 yuan because I thought it was worth it to join the three-second club at that price. I didn’t expect the domestic version to reach 340,000 yuan so quickly. The advantages of low-cost, high-performance electric cars will become increasingly apparent, but we cannot deny that one of the main reasons why high-performance gasoline cars are expensive is that large-displacement imported cars are subject to heavy taxes.

The Roadster has achieved a 2-second acceleration, and supercars are all being hybridized. Future performance cars will increasingly rely on electric motors. Many people may not be interested in performance cars, but looking at mainstream household models, the benefits of electrification are also obvious.

The cheapest Ideal One has superior performance, and in fact, due to the zero-start characteristics of the electric motor, the perceived acceleration performance of the Ideal One is far greater than the gap between the 6.5s and 6.9s actual data, allowing a daddy car to have a beastly side when driving alone.

Domestic car brands really have a chance to catch up in the curves.

For a long time, domestic car brands have found it difficult to enter the luxury car market, to directly challenge BBA, or even lag behind when compared to joint venture brands. Is it because we can’t build good cars? Yes, and no.In terms of appearance, interior design, configuration, and even material selection, domestic cars often have advantages. However, the reason why their reputation is difficult to improve is fundamentally due to the gap in driving and handling performance, which is the most basic part of a car. If the most basic part is not well done, it is difficult for other aspects to be recognized by consumers no matter how much effort is put into it. Let us further investigate where the gap exists. Although there is a certain gap in engine technology, it is not very large, and in recent years, it has also caught up with foreign brands. Moreover, it can be partially compensated after delivery. The real core gap lies in the transmission, which is a difficult-to-make-up hardware gap.

Even century-old brands like Volkswagen and Ford have been criticized for their dual-clutch transmissions for many years. Half of the complaints on the automobile quality complaint list are transmission problems. Therefore, the lack of a good gearbox is the biggest weakness of domestic cars. The most popular domestic gasoline-powered cars almost all use imported gearboxes, but supply is limited and the cost is high.

In the era of electric cars, we can finally say goodbye to gearboxes. The century-old problem of gear shifting that has plagued the automobile industry for decades and is the culprit that has hindered the development of domestic cars for tens of years will be solved. This rare opportunity for domestic cars to overtake the bend is now here. All automobile manufacturers around the world have returned to the same starting line to tune electric motors, optimize electronics, and use electric motors to assist internal combustion engines, giving us a chance to do better than century-old brands and create our own high-end cars.

This is why new forces in car-making have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. Industry leaders see rare opportunities and devote themselves to entrepreneurship. Capital finds a trend and rushes in to push up valuations. New energy vehicle companies’ sales volumes and stock prices are soaring. The trend is already very clear.

Embrace new energy vehicles and choose the right one for you.

After introducing so many advantages of electric cars, I believe that many people still do not have much feeling. Cars are things that you have to test drive yourself. A thousand words are not as good as stepping on the accelerator, and you will understand all the previous 2345 statements. Here, we strongly recommend that you first test drive the ideal ONE (click “read the original” in the lower left corner of the article or scan the QR code below to make an appointment for a test drive), because this car is an amphibious creature that can run on both oil and electricity. With one test drive, you can experience the driving feel of both pure electric and hybrid cars. Moreover, it is also an extended-range electric car, which is considered a plug-in hybrid. You can try out four different types of new energy vehicles at once. Are you surprised or not?There are many types of new energy vehicles, each with its own strengths. Based on their individual usage conditions, different people can find the type that suits them.

For those who do not have charging conditions, HEV, EREV, and some PHEV are recommended.

Although hybrid vehicles are not officially considered new energy vehicles according to Chinese policy and most cities do not have license or subsidy support, they are undoubtedly a truly energy-saving and emission-reducing new energy vehicle. Although they are slightly more expensive than their gasoline counterparts, their driving experience is better and they are clearly more fuel-efficient. Therefore, if you were already planning to buy a compact or midsize gasoline vehicle, consider upgrading to a Toyota hybrid vehicle.

The ideal ONE model is currently the only extended-range electric vehicle on the market, and it can be driven without charging just like a gasoline vehicle. Its driving experience is better, and it is more fuel-efficient than other same-level midsize SUVs. If you plan to buy a midsize car, the ideal ONE is a good choice. Even friends who were originally considering BBA brands may also want to take a look. Although it seems like a downgrade in pay, the product’s performance has not declined at all.

Some newly developed PHEVs can also be used as hybrid vehicles, even if they are not charged.

For those who have charging conditions and need a primary or only vehicle, PHEV or EREV are recommended.

If you have charging conditions available, you can use them to charge in short-range urban driving. The cost of electricity for home charging is very low, and the pure electric driving experience is better. However, pure electric vehicles still have many limitations in long-distance travel. Planning charging routes and facing uncertainty with charging poles (queues, damaged poles, and blocked poles by gasoline vehicles) is a hassle. The majority of people need to consider multiple people and scenarios, so PHEV or EREV is still the first choice.

The design philosophy of PHEV and EREV is the same, they use electricity for urban driving and gasoline for long-distance driving. EREV has a longer pure electric driving range and is more flexible. However, currently, there are too few available EREV models to choose from. There are many PHEV models, but you need to carefully evaluate the product performance you need.

For those who have charging conditions and need a second vehicle, BEV is recommended.

Retaining one electric vehicle that can use gasoline for long-distance travel, the second vehicle can be a pure electric vehicle. If there is a home charging pile, then you are not limited. There is no need to overly pursue long range mileage. Instead, you can focus on performance, handling, intelligence, and driver assistance.

Except for Beijing New Energy vehicle quota holders, who can only buy pure electric vehicles whether they have home charging support or not. In this case, you should choose an electric vehicle with the longest possible driving range, which can run farther for longer periods of time after each charging, has higher fault tolerance, and has a longer interval between charges.

Conclusion: The energy of new energy is not new, but electric propulsion is the trend.The era is developing, and we also need to look at things with a developmental perspective. Admittedly, new energy vehicles still have some shortcomings, but the development trend of automobiles is already clear, which is electrification, deeper electrification, and using electric motors to assist or even replace internal combustion engines, making cars more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, and also making them easier to drive and cheaper.

Although some restrictive and mandatory policies targeting fuel vehicles can be frustrating, we should not blindly resist new energy vehicles. Instead, we should update our knowledge and concepts and actively embrace change.

Some conservatives like to quibble that electric motors or batteries are not new technologies. Both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles were invented a hundred years ago, and electric vehicles were even introduced a few decades earlier. So where is the novelty in new energy vehicles? In their eyes, only hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be considered new energy vehicles, because hydrogen energy is the most like new energy, and it is absolutely environmentally friendly and pollution-free. But what is the actual situation? Currently, the main way to produce hydrogen is by decomposing methane, and methane is the main component of natural gas.

Some extreme electric vehicle enthusiasts also have a hierarchy of disdain, believing that pure electric vehicles are the only way to go, and everything that burns oil is a pseudo-new energy. However, where does the electricity come from? Over 70% of the country’s electricity comes from thermal power generation, and in northern China, the proportion of thermal power even exceeds 90%, which means it is derived from burning coal.

Do you see it now? Pure electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles/plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles primarily rely on coal, oil, and natural gas to generate electricity and then use electricity to drive vehicles. Humanity has still not been able to completely get rid of fossil energy. Does that mean that efforts to develop new energy are in vain? Absolutely not. Unlike direct burning of fossil energy for propulsion, the new energy vehicles use fossil energy to generate electricity and then drive the vehicle with electric power, truly improving energy utilization efficiency and reducing the use of fossil energy, which is emission reduction. Moreover, with the macroeconomic regulation of the country, the proportion of fossil energy is gradually decreasing, and the emission reduction mission is not accomplished in one fell swoop.

Carbon emission pressure has put the ban on selling fuel vehicles on the agenda of all countries, and some radical small countries or regions will completely ban any vehicles that burn oil, while larger countries are relatively more rational, simply banning pure fuel vehicles and encouraging all kinds of new energy vehicles. The phased goal proposed by our country is carbon neutrality, encouraging new energy vehicles that can be charged. As a great country, it is impossible not to use fossil energy completely. The most rational way is to use it for the most necessary situations with greater energy savings and restraint.In the foreseeable future, pure electric cars and hybrid cars will coexist for a long time. Whether the energy source is oil, electricity, or hydrogen is not important. What matters is whether cars have become easier to drive or not, whether convenient energy supplement is available, and whether the cost of use has decreased. Different families and usage scenarios require different types of cars. You may drive a pure electric car, I may drive a hybrid or extended-range electric car, and he may drive a hydrogen fuel cell car. We all drive better new energy cars and make contributions to reducing emissions for the benefit of humanity. There is no need to belittle or argue with each other.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.