China can still become a leader in environmental cars
23.04.2012/XNUMX/XNUMX - Despite the sluggish sales of electric cars in China, the country could still become a world leader in the vehicle industry, according to McKinsey & Co. However, this is only possible if the focus of battery-powered vehicles is on plug-in hybrids -Electric cars laying.
The U.S. firm's forecast followed its report on China's electric car targets on Friday, based on interviews with over 30 politicians, industry leaders and experts. "Despite challenges and initial setbacks, electric cars continue to be sold in China as a solution to energy and environmental pollution problems," said Axel Krieger, partner in McKinsey's Beijing office and director of McKinsey's China Auto Hub. "In addition, against the background of the fact that there is no shortcut to battery-operated vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric cars can be the right bridge to the long-term goal of purely electric cars." He indicated that through the Electric car production China's automakers will have a better chance of starting electric car sales.
McKinsey estimates that plug-in electric cars with 15 kilowatt-hour batteries are most likely to rival the combustion engine vehicles in China by the latest 2017. Plug-ins with smaller 10 kilowatt-hours batteries could already achieve cost parity with 2014 with combustion engine vehicles.
China currently risks to lag behind with just 2011 produced 6.000 electric cars with just ten models. The figure is only 0,03 percent of the country's total annual production of cars and far less than the 500.000 industrial capacity vehicles, which according to the plan should go into operation no later than 2015, the report says. The number of 16.000 recharge stations built on 2011 was also far lower than the industry's target of 400.000 stations, no later than 2015.
McKinsey's report also states that public transport operators like buses are likely to be in the first wave of electric car users in China, rather than consumers. McKinsey predicts that the total number of electric buses could increase to 2016 units by 100.000 at the latest. “China still has a very good chance of realizing its goal of becoming a global leader in the electric car industry. Achieving this goal will require stakeholders in the automotive value chain, ”said Krieger. "The Chinese government, automakers, auto parts suppliers and infrastructure providers need to work more closely together to develop a new strategy," he said. Larry Wang, head of McKinsey's Shanghai office, said, "China faces a unique opportunity to expand its huge capacity to develop electric cars and can do so not only in China, but also in the global market."
The State Council on Wednesday adopted a much-anticipated industrial development plan for energy-efficient and renewable-energy vehicles, stating that pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles will be the strategic orientation for China to address the challenges of energy and the environment. China has also set a target of cumulative production and sales of 500.000 pure electric and plug-in vehicles by 2015 at the latest, and of 5 million vehicles by no later than 2015, by offering grants and accelerating the construction of charging stations for electric vehicles ,
(China Daily)
