What’s Up in China
Posted June 22, 2010 at 11:18 am 
Filed in: This week, as the Senate is considering GEV legislation in Washington, senior policy staff for the Electrification Coalition is participating in a World Bank mission to learn about the electric vehicle industry in China and share experiences with Chinese experts in the vehicle, battery and power industries and Chinese government officials.
As we think about the importance of facilitating the deployment of GEVs in the United States, it is worth appreciating that the Chinese are moving ahead. Yesterday, we met with a senior official in the Ministry of Science and Technology who stated the government’s goal of getting 5 million EVs and 10 million HEVs on the road. The initial push is in the public transit space, with bus companies placing orders to HEV and EV busses on a regular basis as Chinese cities work to facilitate deployment of GEVs in their own communities. For cities, it is a way to support their local vehicle manufacturers and try to position them as leaders in the manufacture of new energy vehicles in the future. But they are not only thinking about electric busses. They are making important strides in the deployment of light-duty EVs al well.
Sam Ori, Director of Policy at the Electrification Coalition, driving Beijing Electric Vehicle Company’s EV-60 in Beijing on Tuesday morning.
At Beijing Electric Vehicle Company (BEVC), we had an opportunity to drive their new EV. The car, which was built by BEVC from the ground up, based on a Saab model, drove well, though it could use a little torque control at low speeds. The leather seat equipped vehicle was equipped with navigation, Bluetooth and most of the amenities we would expect in a car destined for the American market. BEVC expects to be selling 150,000 EVs PHEVs by 2015, and they are one of several companies in this space.
Even having been here for just a short time, it seems that our frequent refrain regarding international competitiveness rings true. We have long said that China is moving ahead in the field and seems determined to demonstrate global leadership. That has been confirmed time and time again in our meetings. Today, for instance, an official at Beijing Electric Vehicle Company told us that China is pursuing EVs to enhance China’s energy security and to reach a position of global leadership in the automotive industry. He noted that China was far behind in the development and production of internal combustion engines, but that they were not so far behind on EVs. Therefore, it made sense for them to focus on the technology of the future (in the same way some developing countries are skipping over the deployment of landline telephones and going straight to cell phone networks.
The confidence and can-do attitude that we have seen exemplified here in China was reflected in a sign we saw along the road on the way to the BEVC offices:
As Congress considers what steps it wants to take to facilitate the deployment of GEVs in the United States, I can only think of Lee Iacocca’s old admonition that it is time to “lead, follow or get out of the way.” Let’s hope that Congress leads.
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