How to choose new energy vehicles? How will lithium batteries and hydrogen batteries develop in the future?

1. It is imperative to develop the new energy vehicle industry

As the global energy crisis becomes increasingly serious and the environmental pollution caused by automobile emissions has gradually received attention from countries around the world, new energy vehicles have become the development focus of the global automobile industry. In combination with my country's national conditions and the current status of the automobile industry, based on the deep strategic considerations of the transformation and upgrading of my country's automobile industry, the adjustment of energy structure, and the alleviation of environmental pressure, the development of new energy vehicles has become an inevitable trend.

1. Support and cultivate pillar industries to help my country's automobile industry transform and upgrade

As a strategic and pillar industry with high technology content and high added value, the changes in the market structure of the automobile industry directly affect the construction of my country's national economy. In the field of traditional automobile industry, my country is heavily dependent on imports due to the lack of core technology and has lost its active position in market competition. The emergence of new energy vehicles has subverted the traditional automobile concept that has lasted for a hundred years. This may be an excellent opportunity for my country to rewrite the global automobile industry structure. At present, the gap between domestic new energy vehicle technology and foreign advanced levels is constantly narrowing, and it has a certain technical foundation and reserves. Therefore, new energy vehicles will become a carrier for building a manufacturing power and carrying out industrial transformation. Seizing the development opportunities of the new energy vehicle industry is a key measure for my country to achieve the leap from an automobile power to an automobile power.

2. Get rid of oil dependence and promote the adjustment of national energy structure

As a strategic resource, oil is vital to a country's energy security. With the continuous development of the economy, my country's demand for oil has been rising year by year. In 2018, my country's net oil imports reached 440 million tons, and its external dependence rose to 69.8%. From this perspective, energy security has become an overall and strategic issue for the country's economic and social development. Once oil imports are restricted, my country will face a major energy crisis. Therefore, it is urgent to accelerate the adjustment of my country's excessive dependence on oil energy to green and diversified development. According to statistics, the automobile industry's oil consumption accounts for about 40% of the country's total oil consumption, and with the continuous growth of the number of cars, oil consumption will increase further in the future. The development of new energy vehicles can reduce dependence on foreign oil and promote the adjustment of my country's energy structure, which is not only related to the sustainable development of my country's automobile industry, but also to national energy security.

3. Reduce vehicle exhaust emissions and mitigate environmental risks

In recent years, the environmental pollution caused by automobile exhaust emissions has become increasingly serious. From the perspective of sustainable development and protecting the earth's living environment, energy conservation and emission reduction have become an inevitable trend of the times. The exhaust of traditional fuel vehicles contains a large amount of harmful gases and solid particles, which seriously threaten the environment and human health. Relatively speaking, new energy vehicles can achieve zero emissions and effectively alleviate environmental crises. Therefore, the layout of the new energy vehicle industry is of great significance to improving the ecological environment.

2. Each new energy vehicle power technology route has its own advantages and disadvantages, and each application field has its own focus

With the rise of solid-state lithium batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, both have become important technical routes for the development of the new energy vehicle industry.

1. The lithium battery industry has a solid foundation, but solid-state battery technology needs to be upgraded

Solid-state lithium battery technology is an important direction for achieving breakthroughs in energy density of automotive power batteries. Solid-state batteries have the advantages of high ionic conductivity, high mechanical strength and high energy density. Benefiting from the original technical accumulation and industrial resources in the field of lithium batteries in China, they can be mass-produced at a low cost. Solid-state batteries have great potential in terms of safety and energy density, but a lot of research work is still needed to improve the electrode/electrolyte interface, solid electrolyte processing and chemical stability, and make up for the defects of sharp reduction in driving range under low temperature conditions, difficulty in charging, and high energy efficiency of temperature control system.

(II) Hydrogen fuel cells have obvious performance advantages, but lack core technology and insufficient supporting construction

Hydrogen fuel cells, as another development branch, are also highly respected by the industry. Hydrogen fuel cells have the characteristics of light weight, long life, high energy density, short refueling time, longer driving range and no environmental impact. However, its key components such as proton exchange membranes, catalysts, bipolar plates and other core technologies have long been monopolized by foreign countries, which seriously restricts the development of the industry. In addition, China has not yet formed a fully matched hydrogen energy ecological chain of hydrogen production, storage and refueling, and the construction of hydrogen energy infrastructure is insufficient, making it difficult to promote it on a large scale in the short term.

3. The potential application advantages of the two power technology routes are different

The domestic new energy vehicle development environment is complex and the demands vary. The two technical routes of solid-state lithium batteries and hydrogen fuel cells have their own advantages and shortcomings, and each shows potential for practical applications.

In terms of energy distribution, climate, region and regional functional differences, the two technical routes are useful. First, domestic coal resources are unevenly distributed. Nearly 50% of coal resources are distributed in North China, and about 30% of reserves are in Northwest my country, while East China, Southwest and other regions have few coal resources. The excess capacity of power plants in North China and Northwest China can provide a power source for solid-state lithium battery vehicles through charging piles, achieving the dual effects of fuel replacement and improving power utilization; according to statistics, my country's average wind abandonment rate in 2018 was 7%, mainly concentrated in Xinjiang, Gansu, Tibet and other regions. With the development of hydrogen production technology, these unused resources can be converted into hydrogen and stored in compressed gaseous hydrogen storage, liquefied hydrogen storage and other methods. Therefore, the local abundant renewable energy provides unique conditions for the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Secondly, the existing solid-state battery technology cannot meet the application needs of high-altitude cold areas such as the Northeast, and hydrogen fuel cells can be used as an alternative technology to give priority to development in these regions. Thirdly, in terms of geographical conditions, the cities in East China are concentrated and developing rapidly, the number of vehicles continues to rise, and the short-distance transportation lines are dense, which is suitable for the development of solid-state lithium battery vehicles. In addition, the centralized layout of port hydrogen refueling stations is relatively easy, and commercial vehicles parked at ports can be transformed and hydrogen energy industries can be deployed at ports; service areas along highways and other routes are also convenient for setting up oil-hydrogen hybrid stations, creating hydrogen energy intercity highways, and realizing the layout of multiple stations that integrate hydrogen refueling stations with gas stations, gas stations, and charging stations.

Depending on the type and purpose of the car, the two technologies also have their own strengths. There are a large number of household passenger cars and buses, and the journey is short, which is more suitable for loading high-energy-density, small-volume solid-state lithium batteries. Moreover, compared with hydrogen fuel cells, solid-state lithium battery technology is relatively mature and has a certain commercial basis, which can meet the high demand for passenger cars and buses. Commercial vehicles, logistics vehicles and heavy trucks require sufficient passenger space and long driving range. Loading solid-state lithium batteries will take up space and increase the load. Hydrogen fuel cells themselves are light in weight, and the fuel enters the vehicle body through external circulation to provide power. It is the first choice to replace fuel power in long-distance and heavy-load situations. In addition, the hydrogen refueling system is suitable for centralized layout, which coincides with the characteristics of centralized storage of long-distance and heavy-load vehicles. This can greatly improve the efficiency of hydrogen refueling stations and reduce maintenance costs.

3. Development Suggestions

The industrial layout of new energy vehicles is related to whether the domestic automobile industry can rise. Biased technology selection can easily lead to unbalanced energy utilization, unscientific industrial development, and insignificant application effects. Therefore, the future domestic new energy vehicle power era should be an era of two strong coexistence and parallel development. In order to promote the balanced and comprehensive development of my country's new energy vehicle industry, the following suggestions are put forward.