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As China tries to spur the momentum of its still-fledgling electric vehicle(EV) industry, a number of accidents and cut-corners are causing the public to wonder if the country needs to ease on the brakes.
In the early hours of May 26, a red Nissan GTR sports car collided with two taxis, setting one, an E6 EV manufactured by BYD Auto, on fire and resulting in the death of the driver and two passengers. As an investigation into the accident ensued, a workshop of EVE Energy in Guangdong Province burned down after a number of lithium cells exploded on June 16.
The two accidents pushed the development of China’s e-car market to the center of public attention, raising the question: Are EVs and their volatile components safe?
The government has been quick to respond.
Effective on July 1, the Technical Conditions of Fully Electric Passenger Vehicles released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) stipulate that EVs must meet general safety standards. Strict standards on energy storage cells, functioning safety as well as prevention and protection against malfunctions were also mentioned. The technical provisions are expected to improve the safety performance of EVs. For now, industrial experts suggest local governments keep calm and not develop EV projects blindly.
Wang Tianshun, Director of the Technology Service Center of the Electric Vehicles Committee of the China Electrotechnical Society, said the key problem with EVs lies in storage cells. He suggested the government and EV producers expand input and strengthen research and development in basic materials to create safer cells. For the time being, and until the problem can be completely solved, China should slow down its hearty ambitions of leading the world’s march toward EVs.
Premature advance
The State Council approved on April 18 the Development Plan of Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicles Industry (2012-20), one that makes EVs a pillar for transforming China’s auto industry. The plan also sets a primary target for the country’s development of energy-saving and new energy vehicles: 500,000 produced and on the road by 2015, with 5 million by 2020.
The target has inspired local governments to embrace the EV trend. Already, a number of cities have invested heavily in infrastructure projects to support EVs, from building charging stations to implementing favorable policies to pique consumer interest.
Beijing has led the charge in creating infrastructure to facilitate an influx in EVs on the capital’s busy streets. The city currently has four charging stations, mainly for electric buses and sanitation vehicles, and expects to have 5,000 public service EVs in use by the end of the year. According to a document released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, the city also supports charging facilities for private EVs, although for the time being the number of privately owned EVs is close to zero. Out of safety concerns and exorbitant prices, most prospective EV consumers seem content to stand on the sidelines, at least for now.
Another serious obstacle is the lack of a uniform standard for charging couplers on domestically produced EVs.
Other top-tier cities—Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen—are also jumping on the EV bandwagon, implementing detailed plans to promote EVs and develop the emerging strategic industry in their localities.
According to figures released by the MIIT, by the end of 2011, 75 automakers had produced 361 models of electric and other new energy vehicles.
A worldwide problem
The BYD taxi accident was not an isolated incident in terms of faulty EV components. An EV taxi from Zotye Auto in Zhejiang Province caught fire in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, on April 11, 2011 after being on the road for only five months. Similarly, Chevrolet’s Volt has met challenges in its testing phase.
Song Jian, Executive Vice President of Tsinghua Automotive Engineering Institute, said neither iron phosphate lithium cells nor manganese lithium cells can fundamentally solve the safety problem for EVs.
At present, lithium cell technology is limited to two main options: iron phosphate lithium cells adopted by A123 Systems, Inc. and Valence Technology Inc. from the United States and BYD from China, and manganese lithium cells adopted by producers from Japan and South Korea.
The exact cause of the fires in relation to the impact of the collision is still unclear. In May 2011, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration carried out a side collision test in a simulated crash of a Chevrolet Volt. Three weeks later, the test car spontaneously combusted in the garage. Primary judgment indicated that the reason for the fire was that lithium cells were damaged, but in a later repeated test, there was no fire.
Jia Xinguang, chief analyst of China Automobile Industry Consulting Co. Ltd., said addressing safety concerns is global automakers’ biggest challenge, with many problems yet to be solved. Although conventional fuel vehicles also catch fire, the probability of fire by EVs is much higher and already beyond consumer tolerance.
Rational development
Although a conclusion has yet to be reached on the safety issue revolving around EVs, one thing is certain: China’s EV industry needs to seriously reflect on its rapid development, said Zhong Shi, an independent auto analyst. Based on current defects and controversy surrounding EVs, producers on the upstream and downstream need to find solutions quickly before consumer confidence wanes to a breaking point, Zhong said. New energy vehicles are the future, Zhong said, but developing the EV sector needs to be rational and meticulous.
Jia said the procession of EV accidents will certainly have a negative impact on the market, but not a detrimental one. With these incidents in mind, EV producers will be more prudent concerning power cell safety, resulting in an industry drive to make better, safer cars.
In China, all automakers are placing their hopes for the future in new energy vehicles. However, since industry norms in research and development and cell management to secure safety of EVs are non-existent, cell producers came to the fore in large numbers lured by the huge potential profits brought out by the concept of new energy vehicles.
“Rather than pursuing fast development, it’s better to slow down development and solve safety and other problems in the EV industry,” Jia said. “With stable EV performance and consumer confidence, the market will form naturally as people embrace this new trend in automotives.”
In the early hours of May 26, a red Nissan GTR sports car collided with two taxis, setting one, an E6 EV manufactured by BYD Auto, on fire and resulting in the death of the driver and two passengers. As an investigation into the accident ensued, a workshop of EVE Energy in Guangdong Province burned down after a number of lithium cells exploded on June 16.
The two accidents pushed the development of China’s e-car market to the center of public attention, raising the question: Are EVs and their volatile components safe?
The government has been quick to respond.
Effective on July 1, the Technical Conditions of Fully Electric Passenger Vehicles released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) stipulate that EVs must meet general safety standards. Strict standards on energy storage cells, functioning safety as well as prevention and protection against malfunctions were also mentioned. The technical provisions are expected to improve the safety performance of EVs. For now, industrial experts suggest local governments keep calm and not develop EV projects blindly.
Wang Tianshun, Director of the Technology Service Center of the Electric Vehicles Committee of the China Electrotechnical Society, said the key problem with EVs lies in storage cells. He suggested the government and EV producers expand input and strengthen research and development in basic materials to create safer cells. For the time being, and until the problem can be completely solved, China should slow down its hearty ambitions of leading the world’s march toward EVs.
Premature advance
The State Council approved on April 18 the Development Plan of Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicles Industry (2012-20), one that makes EVs a pillar for transforming China’s auto industry. The plan also sets a primary target for the country’s development of energy-saving and new energy vehicles: 500,000 produced and on the road by 2015, with 5 million by 2020.
The target has inspired local governments to embrace the EV trend. Already, a number of cities have invested heavily in infrastructure projects to support EVs, from building charging stations to implementing favorable policies to pique consumer interest.
Beijing has led the charge in creating infrastructure to facilitate an influx in EVs on the capital’s busy streets. The city currently has four charging stations, mainly for electric buses and sanitation vehicles, and expects to have 5,000 public service EVs in use by the end of the year. According to a document released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, the city also supports charging facilities for private EVs, although for the time being the number of privately owned EVs is close to zero. Out of safety concerns and exorbitant prices, most prospective EV consumers seem content to stand on the sidelines, at least for now.
Another serious obstacle is the lack of a uniform standard for charging couplers on domestically produced EVs.
Other top-tier cities—Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen—are also jumping on the EV bandwagon, implementing detailed plans to promote EVs and develop the emerging strategic industry in their localities.
According to figures released by the MIIT, by the end of 2011, 75 automakers had produced 361 models of electric and other new energy vehicles.
A worldwide problem
The BYD taxi accident was not an isolated incident in terms of faulty EV components. An EV taxi from Zotye Auto in Zhejiang Province caught fire in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, on April 11, 2011 after being on the road for only five months. Similarly, Chevrolet’s Volt has met challenges in its testing phase.
Song Jian, Executive Vice President of Tsinghua Automotive Engineering Institute, said neither iron phosphate lithium cells nor manganese lithium cells can fundamentally solve the safety problem for EVs.
At present, lithium cell technology is limited to two main options: iron phosphate lithium cells adopted by A123 Systems, Inc. and Valence Technology Inc. from the United States and BYD from China, and manganese lithium cells adopted by producers from Japan and South Korea.
The exact cause of the fires in relation to the impact of the collision is still unclear. In May 2011, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration carried out a side collision test in a simulated crash of a Chevrolet Volt. Three weeks later, the test car spontaneously combusted in the garage. Primary judgment indicated that the reason for the fire was that lithium cells were damaged, but in a later repeated test, there was no fire.
Jia Xinguang, chief analyst of China Automobile Industry Consulting Co. Ltd., said addressing safety concerns is global automakers’ biggest challenge, with many problems yet to be solved. Although conventional fuel vehicles also catch fire, the probability of fire by EVs is much higher and already beyond consumer tolerance.
Rational development
Although a conclusion has yet to be reached on the safety issue revolving around EVs, one thing is certain: China’s EV industry needs to seriously reflect on its rapid development, said Zhong Shi, an independent auto analyst. Based on current defects and controversy surrounding EVs, producers on the upstream and downstream need to find solutions quickly before consumer confidence wanes to a breaking point, Zhong said. New energy vehicles are the future, Zhong said, but developing the EV sector needs to be rational and meticulous.
Jia said the procession of EV accidents will certainly have a negative impact on the market, but not a detrimental one. With these incidents in mind, EV producers will be more prudent concerning power cell safety, resulting in an industry drive to make better, safer cars.
In China, all automakers are placing their hopes for the future in new energy vehicles. However, since industry norms in research and development and cell management to secure safety of EVs are non-existent, cell producers came to the fore in large numbers lured by the huge potential profits brought out by the concept of new energy vehicles.
“Rather than pursuing fast development, it’s better to slow down development and solve safety and other problems in the EV industry,” Jia said. “With stable EV performance and consumer confidence, the market will form naturally as people embrace this new trend in automotives.”