Text/Song Shuanghui
Just after Volkswagen invested 2 billion euros (approximately 16 billion yuan) in China's new energy vehicle market, another giant Toyota Motor also started to take action .
Two weeks ago, Volkswagen accomplished two major things in the Chinese market. It first spent 1.1 billion euros to become the largest shareholder of the power battery company Guoxuan Hi-Tech, and then spent another 1 billion euros to acquire 50 shares of JAC Holdings and management rights of the JAC Volkswagen joint venture.
Volkswagen’s attitude is very clear: I am going to make efforts in China’s pure electric passenger car market.
Another multinational giant, Toyota, which has been considered too slow in the field of new energy vehicles, has chosen another runway to develop its efforts - hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
On June 5, Toyota signed contracts with FAW, Dongfeng, GAC, BAIC and Huatong, announcing the establishment of "United Fuel Cell System R&D (Beijing) Co., Ltd., with a total investment of 5.019 billion yen, funded by Toyota Accounting for 65, Yihuatong accounted for 15, and the other four car companies each accounted for 5.
This company is targeting the commercial vehicle market and hopes to accelerate the popularity of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in China's commercial vehicle market through technical means. .
Toyota talks about "hydrogen" and love
In the field of new energy vehicles, Toyota's attitude has always been very clear. Gas-electric hybrid is the best transition solution, and it is the ultimate environmentally friendly car. Hydrogen fuel and pure electric power are not its specialty.
Toyota’s development of hydrogen fuel technology can be traced back to the 1990s. Like hybrid technology, Toyota is currently developing hydrogen fuel technology. It also has a high say in fuel technology patents and has mastered many core technologies. However, due to high costs and insufficient infrastructure construction of hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have become the most popular in the world. There is no big explosion. So how to reduce costs and increase the number of hydrogen refueling stations? It will definitely not work if Toyota relies on its own strength.
The Chinese market is undoubtedly a hot spot for hydrogen fuel and the development of hydrogen. Energy fuel cell technology was included in the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for National Science and Technology Innovation", and promoting the construction of hydrogenation facilities was also included in the 2019 "Government Work Report"
So two years ago. Toyota has begun to pave the way. In 2018, it reached a cooperation intention with Beiqi Foton and Yihuatong to jointly build hydrogen fuel cell buses and will also serve the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Last year, Akio Toyoda personally. Came to Tsinghua University and announced the establishment of a Tsinghua University-Toyota joint research institute. Hydrogen fuel cells are the main research topic. Later, they reached an agreement with FAW and Suzhou Jinlong on cooperation on hydrogen fuel cell buses.
With this joint venture, Toyota has added two new partners in China's hydrogen fuel field, Dongfeng and GAC. One is a commercial vehicle giant, and the other is a close friend who has been jointly engaged in China for many years. Both companies have state-owned backgrounds, and the cooperation is of far-reaching significance. .
The entry of foreign capital is disrupting the new energy market
Vigorously developing the new energy vehicle industry has long been a strategic plan at the national level. A few years ago, the government still hoped to use subsidies and policy preferences. The method first allowed independent brands to run, and now it has entered the second stage, opening the door to allow foreign brands to enter with investment and technology, and bring the entire new energy industry to life
2019 new energy vehicles. The market has experienced a year-on-year sales decline for the first time, and sales in the first four months of this year have dropped by nearly 40% year-on-year. If we want to achieve the goal of 20 or even 25% of new energy vehicle sales in 2025, we must give the market more external stimulation.
So we have seen the abolition of the "white list" of power batteries, seen that Tesla's domestic products enjoy various preferential policies, seen that Volkswagen's shareholding ratio in the JAC-Volkswagen joint venture has increased to 75, and now we have seen that When it comes to Toyota and four state-owned car companies joining hands in the field of hydrogen fuel.
There are also some opposing voices, who believe that excessive opening to foreign investment is a crushing of independent brands that lack strength, and is inviting wolves into the house. I think there is no need to be so pessimistic.
The "wolf" has come a long time ago. We don't need to protect the weak, otherwise the entire new energy vehicle market will lose the opportunity. Europe is already eager to catch up with China and become the largest market for new energy vehicles. France and Germany have recently invested billions of euros in electric vehicles. We must work harder.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.