Posted on 09/08/2001 9:29:18 PM PDT by Hopalong
A January 1999 report from U.S. Embassy Beijing
Summary: During a recent visit to Shantou, a city in Guangdong Province, Embassy Beijing Environment, Science and Technology Counselor (ESTCOUNS) toured China's recently established test facility set up to study and evaluate different types of electric vehicles and, at some later point, alternative fuel vehicles. The center, opened in June 1998, covers 7.59 acres, including buildings, parking areas, and a small test track, with 3000 square meters of office and garage space in a multi-story building. The original plan called for thirty vehicles, fifteen from foreign companies and fifteen domestically produced or retrofitted, but the facility now has only eighteen vehicles on hand. During the initial phase of testing, through the end of next year (2000), they are testing cars at the test facility and on the streets of Shantou. The center's ultimate goal is to use what they learn from testing a wide range of vehicles to help the Chinese design a domestically made, inexpensive, family of low or zero pollution vehicles that could be used in China's cities. End summary.
During a recent visit to shantou, a city in Guangdong Province, ESTCOUNS toured China's recently established (opened June 9, 1998) electric and hybrid vehicle test facility. China has severe air pollution problems in almost all of its large cities and wants to develop electric or alternative fuel vehicles to try to reduce at least part of the vehicle derived air pollution. The Chinese government electric vehicle program includes four basic parts:
The electric vehicle center was intended to study and evaluate different types of electric vehicles and, at some later point, alternative fuel vehicles, establish a program to invite international cooperation, and allow Chinese officials to see actual electric vehicles in use. The concept for the test center originated in 1994, the plans were approved in 1996 and The center opened two years later. The center covers 7.59 acres, including buildings, parking areas, and a small test track, with 3000 square meters of office and garage space in a multi-story building. At the end of the first phase of testing (December 2000) the center will prepare a report on the vehicles tested and work on a plan for the second phase. The engineers at the center would like to test hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, and feel they have the capability and facilities to do so, but they have not yet been offered the opportunity.
The original plan called for thirty vehicles, fifteen from foreign companies and fifteen domestically produced or retrofitted, but the facility now has only eighteen vehicles on hand. The breakdown is as follows: five from Toyota (RAV-EV's), five from GM (three S-10 pick-ups and two EV-1's), six domestic vehicles (a mixture of small trucks, a bus, and a sedan) retrofitted as electric vehicles and one vehicle (small crew-cab pick-up configuration) produced by a U.S.-China joint venture. (discrepancy comes from the fact that the center and Toyota consider that there are actually six RAV-EV's, Toyota having provided spare parts equivalent to another complete vehicle.) The original proposed vehicle numbers were based on foreign producers donating vehicles, parts and service to help China learn about their respective products. In fact, only Toyota was willing to donate their products, the center had to pay for the GM S-10 pick-ups and the EV-1's are on loan. The center plans to ask Citroen and Renault to donate vehicles for testing, but has not yet moved their request through channels.
During the initial phase, through the end of next year (2000), they are testing cars at the test facility and on the streets of Shantou. They have retrofitted a small bus (22 passenger) with a hybrid (gasoline and electricity) power system and plan to test it on a run from the city center to the Nan'Ao island (a small island off the coast) ferry terminal, a distance of ten to twelve kilometers one way. They also plan to use some of the RAV-EV's as taxis in Shantou to see if the range and recharge times lend themselves to commercial use. The engineers like the EV-1's, the range is acceptable, but as two seaters the vehicles are too small to be used as taxis. Initially they will only have chargers at the test site, but if conditions require they will move one charger to the other end of the bus line or a central taxi lot. One of the staff drove the ESTCOUNS to his next appointment in an EV-1 so ESTCOUNS could see how the vehicle performs under city driving conditions.
The vehicles use both inductive and conductive chargers, depending on the brand. The Toyotas use nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, while the GM vehicles use advanced lead acid batteries. The center's engineers reported that the GM vehicles had numerous problems on first arrival and they were not able to test them extensively until a GM maintenance team came in November and replaced all the battery packs with longer life, higher energy density batteries (original Delco 48 ampere-hour (AH) batteries were replaced with Panasonic 60 AH batteries) and all the battery pack controllers. While they would like to replace the GM lead-acid batteries with nimh, the cost is prohibitive. The joint venture vehicle has a problem with the placement of the batteries under the vehicle frame, the battery compartment is so low the vehicle lacks sufficient road clearance to operate on Chinese roads. Both Toyota and GM have agreed to service the vehicles every 90 days and have also trained several of the Chinese engineers in maintenanceprocedures. The center has a well equipped garage with specialized electric vehicle service equipment.
The engineers at the facility are grateful to have the opportunity to test electric vehicles from both U.S. and Japanese manufacturers. Many of the staff candidly admitted, however, that foreign, all-electric vehicles are probably too expensive and would require too much expensive infrastructure; i.e. chargers, repair facilities, to ever make any serious inroads into China's vehicle market. They feel that hybrid vehicles like Toyota's Prius or retrofitted compressed or liquefied natural gas vehicles are much more likely to gain acceptance. Their goal is to use what they learn from testing a wide range of vehicles to help the Chinese electric vehicle program group, centered in the Ministry of Science and Technology, come up with a practical design for a domestically made, inexpensive, family of vehicles that could be used in China's cities. They envision such a group of vehicles including a small family sedan/taxi, a small crew-cab pickup for commercial use, and both small (22 passenger) and large size (45-50 passenger) buses for public transport. ESTCOUNS agrees with the engineers estimation of the situation in China. It is unlikely that the streets of Beijing will be filled with electric vehicles in the near future.
Regards to all. S&W R.I.P.
Regards to all. S&W R.I.P.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
By the way, where have you been ? It is not like you to disappear for a long time :) !
Esatto. But, your conditional aside, I doubt even that is the real aim right now.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
That's got to be part of it.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
On the surface it might seem a naive question, OKSubmariner—and tell me if it is—but could there be a modicum of dual use technology and materials being investigated here, useful also for, say, Electric Boats and other weapons systems? Or even as cover for such exchanges? Investigation of production techniques with such materials and technologies as well?
On the one hand, no doubt the technology itself is not extremely advanced, but it may still be more advanced than what they have. I know from other sources that they have been pushing electric battery technology for decades, though they seem to be still behind the Japanese.
Regards to all. S&W R.I.P.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
With Highest Regards for you Hopalong and your posts, OKCSubmariner.
'Course many Americans nowadays seem to think of "batteries" mainly in terms of mechanical rabbits. Must be teevy.
Y'all don't don't miss the accordion link above. Ever ponder the historical connection between the technology of firearms and typewriters, just for another example?
Then there's another dimension so far unmentioned—that under the last administration the EPA was run by someone who was essentially a programmatic Marxist, eh?
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
Motors? Nah. Batteries and fuel cells, including materials and production techniques, perhaps a different story, as you say. Submarines just a stray example.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.