So before sorting out these problems, we might as well know what new energy vehicles in China include and what their characteristics are.
At present, the most common new energy vehicles in China are pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles, and there are relatively few fuel cell vehicles with large government subsidies. Let's take a concrete look at their differences.
1, pure electric vehicle
As the name implies, it is a car that uses a single battery as a source of storage capacity. The battery provides energy for the motor to drive the car. It can also be charged by household power supply and special charging pile to meet daily driving needs. Its use cost is the lowest among the new energy vehicles currently on sale, and there are not many follow-up maintenance problems. It has the unique advantages of motor in power performance-low speed and high torque, and can also enjoy high government subsidies.
However, "mileage anxiety" has always been a major obstacle to the popularization of pure electric vehicles. Whether it is the research and development of battery life or the overall layout of charging facilities, the progress is extremely slow. Although many car companies boast that their maximum cruising range exceeds 300 kilometers, that value is only a reference to some extent due to objective factors such as battery attenuation, complex road conditions, cold winter and driving style.
If the real cruising range of pure electric vehicles in the future far exceeds that of fuel vehicles, or the charging of vehicles is as convenient as mobile phones, then the country will no longer need subsidies to promote consumption, and the revolutionary era of electric vehicles will officially come.
2. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
It can be simply understood as an upgraded version of a non-plug-in hybrid vehicle. Its battery capacity is relatively large, it can be externally charged and can be driven in pure electric mode. After the battery is exhausted, it can be driven by hybrid mode (mainly internal combustion engine), and the battery can be charged in time to achieve the purpose of energy saving and emission reduction.
Compared with pure electric vehicles, such vehicles have no "mileage anxiety" and can satisfy consumers who are interested in new energy vehicles but worried about cruising range. In short-distance driving, this model can be used as a pure electric vehicle, as long as it does not exceed the cruising range provided by the battery (generally more than 50 kilometers), it can achieve zero emissions and zero fuel consumption. Moreover, the government attaches great importance to plug-in hybrid vehicles and has made a lot of subsidies. Major car companies are constantly introducing new models, and the prices are more and more acceptable to consumers.
However, plug-in hybrid vehicles still have a strong dependence on charging facilities, which reduces the enthusiasm of consumers to use pure electric mode to a certain extent, and is more used as ordinary vehicles, so there is not much advantage in energy saving and emission reduction.
3. Extended-range electric vehicles
Generally, the engine drives the generator to generate electricity, and the generated electric energy is stored in the power battery, and then the battery provides energy for the motor, thereby driving the vehicle. Simply put, the vehicle is driven only by the motor, and the engine is only responsible for generating electricity and does not directly participate in driving the wheels. Power output is similar to: engine → battery → motor.
Compared with pure electric vehicles, extended-range electric vehicles not only have the same advantages of external charging, but also can charge the power battery when the vehicle is driving, which greatly increases the cruising range of the vehicle. At the same time, the number of power batteries equipped is far less than that of pure electric vehicles of similar models, so the battery cost of vehicles will be greatly reduced.
In daily driving, extended-range vehicles do not have the "mileage anxiety" problem of pure electric vehicles, and save fuel consumption. Moreover, in the classification of new energy vehicles in China, extended-range electric vehicles are regarded as one of the "plug-in hybrid vehicles", and enjoying the national new energy vehicle policy subsidies can be described as killing three birds with one stone.
But why is its popularity and popularity not as high as that of pure electric vehicles in China? For domestic car companies, extended-range electric vehicles are more like a transitional model between fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles, and pure electric vehicles that can be put in place in one step are naturally more popular. Moreover, when the extended-range electric vehicle is on the high-speed section, because there is an extra oil-electricity link, it not only causes unnecessary energy consumption, but also affects the performance of the whole vehicle.
In addition, national policies, unique market environment, price and technical difficulty all hinder the development of extended-range electric vehicles to some extent.
4. Fuel cell vehicles
In fact, it is through the chemical action of hydrogen and oxygen to generate electric energy to drive vehicles. It is also a kind of electric vehicle, and its structure is basically similar, except for a fuel cell and a hydrogen tank.
Fuel cell vehicles have always been regarded as the ultimate solution for human transportation. It not only has the advantages of ordinary pure electric vehicles, but also is as convenient as refueling and has no pollution because of the inexhaustible hydrogen and oxygen. However, there is a problem more difficult to solve than charging stations, that is, the construction and popularization of hydrogen charging stations are more expensive, and the current production and storage of hydrogen are not ideal, and the safety of high-pressure storage of hydrogen needs to be tested.
In addition to the above categories, hybrid electric vehicle is also a very common vehicle type in China. Its battery capacity is very small, and it can only supply/recover energy when starting/stopping, accelerating/decelerating, so it can't be externally charged, and it can't travel a long distance in pure electric mode. Therefore, it is not a new energy vehicle, but an energy-saving vehicle, which naturally does not enjoy government subsidies.
Through the above simple distinction, we should also have a general understanding of the different attributes of various new energy vehicles. Of course, the knowledge of new energy vehicles is far more than the above, but through the phenomenon, in fact, new energy vehicles are the product of consumption upgrading and government orientation to a certain extent, and must be the future development trend. Only before the era of electric vehicles really comes, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles will play an inestimable transitional role in solving the immediate energy and environmental problems.