With a complete product lineage, helping consumers complete the transition from fuel vehicles to 'zero emissions' will be the key to GM’s sustainable development in new energy.
General Motors plans to launch a series of safe, reliable, and durable electric vehicle products in the Chinese market with a view to accelerating its 'zero emission' vision in the local area.
The U.S. carmaker reiterated on June 5th that it will launch 10 new energy vehicles to the Chinese market between 2016 and 2020, and by 2023, it will be The total number of energy models will double to 20.
'China is very important to realize the vision of 'zero emissions'. We will continue to expand our electric car product layout in the Chinese market, and provide consumers with a variety of options in terms of electrification solutions, cruising range and body design.' Matt Tsien, global executive vice president of General Motors and president of General Motors China, said.
Right now, GM’s plans are steadily advancing. As of today, GM’s 3 new energy products have been launched into the Chinese market, including the Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid, the Buick VELITE 5 extender hybrid and Po Chun. E100 pure electric vehicle.
The manufacturer also confirmed that the Buick VELITE 6 plug-in hybrid vehicle and VELITE 6 pure electric vehicle will also be listed in the short term. 'In the future, our new energy vehicle lineup will cover all models and market segments for consumers. To provide a variety of options. 'In response to the current GM's electric vehicle products are mainly concentrated in the car market, Qian Huikang said at the small-scale media communication meeting after the conference.
In terms of electrified products, General Motors has a long history of R&D and manufacturing. In 1996, the company introduced the industry's first mass-produced electric vehicle EV1, establishing its first-mover advantage in the field of electrification. Since then, it has also launched the Chevrolet Volt. A variety of breakthrough electric vehicles, including the Texan Hybrid and the Chevrolet Bolt, are popular in the market due to their long life and affordable price.
As of May this year, GM’s new energy products have accumulated more than 5 billion kilometers of pure electric driving mileage in the world. In China, this figure has exceeded 75 million kilometers. 'This is only achieved in the past 18 months. In terms of results, we expect that by the next quarter, the total pure electric mileage of GM's new energy vehicle products in China will reach 100 million kilometers. ' Qian Huikang said.
As the core component of an electric vehicle, the battery system is an area that GM has focused on for a long period of time in the past and in the future. In the above-mentioned occasions, General Motors has repeatedly emphasized the company’s proprietary battery R&D capabilities. Currently, the manufacturer The battery labs in the United States and China can independently develop, validate and test battery systems.
'In order to win the trust and recognition of consumers for electric vehicles, our team has spared no effort to polish every detail. Over the past 20 years, we have been making progress and we have experienced technological breakthroughs one after another to develop new key components. The system and the new vehicle system. 'Jennifer Goforth, General Engineer of General Motors China Electrification, said.
The battery laboratory of the General Motors China Forward-looking Research and Technology Center established by the manufacturer in China is an important member of its global battery laboratory system. The laboratory is mainly engaged in research and development, verification and testing of battery systems to ensure that it is built for the Chinese market. High-quality electrification products. In addition, the laboratory also carries out basic scientific research such as battery chemical composition and cell design to continuously overcome technical difficulties and improve battery performance.
In addition, as the products were put on the market one after another, General Motors and the joint venture partner in China established the SAIC General Motors Power Battery System Development Center, which is now in operation to assemble battery packs for domestic production and sales of electric vehicles.
In response to a profit request made by General Motors CEO Mary Bora on Chinese operations during his visit to China last year, Qian Huikang expressed confidence in achieving this goal in the field of electric vehicles.
Although the current cost of autonomously developing battery systems will still generate considerable costs, he said that GM has always considered such inputs as 'absolutely worthwhile'.
'Battery technology is always being updated and we are constantly making progress. Participating in battery R&D and verification does not mean that we have to produce batteries ourselves, but we need to be 'smart buyers' to understand and evaluate the technical strengths of our suppliers. We must ensure that The batteries produced by suppliers meet the stringent GM battery requirements to ensure battery safety, reliability, and durability, 'he said, 'so that we can guarantee the safety, reliability, durability of our products, and ultimately obtain Consumer confidence and recognition of new energy vehicles. '
However, on the above occasions, GM did not disclose the specific information of its local suppliers. Given that SAIC and Ningde had previously established joint venture battery and battery system production bases, the outside world would like to know whether the latter will become GM's battery supplier. Prioritized selection, but Qian Huikang did not give a positive response to this, saying only that 'the standard we choose is the supplier's technical capabilities, product safety and durability, and cost. If we can meet these conditions, we will give priority to ' .
On the other hand, GM may also gain cost advantages from economies of scale to increase profitability. 'If you compare previous new energy products, you will find that they are quite limited in the selection of categories and market segments. In addition, Due to high investment costs and relatively small scale of production, the entire industry and market must continue to grow and reach a certain scale of development in order to realize the goal of profitability for electric vehicles. ' Gao Jenny explained, 'At the same time, we will also introduce diversified Solutions, cruising range and body design, to meet the needs of different consumers in different market segments. We will work together with suppliers to expand our market, reduce the cost of electric vehicles, and ultimately achieve profitability.
And Qian Huikang believes that electric vehicle technology itself has room for further cost reduction. 'For any technological development, we must go through multiple cycles of learning. The more we learn, the more we can benefit from it. In electrification technology In the course of development, we have experienced many learning cycles. I believe that after several rounds of such cycles, the development cost of electric vehicles will continue to decrease. ' He added.
In addition, he said that when considering the R&D cost of new energy products, GM's vision is not limited to the battery cost, but also the vehicle's architecture and integration. 'That is, we must comprehensively consider the structural optimization of the battery and the vehicle itself. In the future, we will develop more exclusive electric vehicle platforms to ensure continuous optimization of products, improve performance, reduce costs, and provide consumers with richer choices.
For the emerging electric vehicle manufacturers that have emerged in the industry in recent years, Qian Huikang said, 'Competition is a good thing for both the market and consumers. Competition will give companies more incentives to launch richer and better quality products. The product ultimately benefits consumers. He believes that GM has accumulated rich experience in the field of electric vehicles over the past 20 years and has the advantages of product development, supplier system, and mass production and sales system. The GM will help GM become a strong player in this kind of competition.
'In addition, consumer confidence in the product is crucial in promoting the development of electrification.' He said that the reputation that GM has been building through its previous products is also the company's core strength in the era of electrification.
'In the United States, a 2012 Volt car owner has more than 640,000 kilometers of pure electric bicycle mileage, and the cruising range has not been undiluted. ' He gave an example, 'The consumer experience after the purchase of electric vehicles and products Quality is the focus of our attention. This is also the fundamental reason why we insist on participating in battery R&D and spend 3 to 5 years of verification.
General Motors views the 'zero emission' vision as a long-term goal, so the company has taken into account the needs of consumers within the 'transition period' in terms of the choice of the technology path.
'For GM, our electrification strategy covers a variety of different technologies and products, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, step-up electric and pure electric. GM is committed to introducing a wide variety of electrification products for consumers. Choose to meet their different needs. ' High Jenny said.
For China's regulators who are currently discussing the inclusion of plug-in hybrid vehicles in the category of fuel vehicles, Qian Huikang gave his opinion.
'If you look at China's long-term goals, the pure electric path is very clear. Plug-in hybrid power as a transitional technology, its higher cost, the entire control system is also more complex. But it also has the advantage, can To solve the customer's mileage anxiety, there is no need to worry about the charging problem. Therefore, we will firmly push toward pure electric, but we will not give up the layout of plug-in hybrid vehicles considering the diverse needs of consumers. He said, 'At this stage we will also spare no effort to improve the fuel economy of internal combustion engine products. Hybrid and micro-mixed technology will be more widely used later to reduce fuel consumption and improve vehicle efficiency.'
In terms of clean energy, General Motors adopts a two-pronged approach to R&D. On the one hand, it continues to promote the research and development of pure electric vehicles. On the other hand, it also actively deploys fuel cell technologies. 'In the US market, we already have plans to introduce fuel cell models. In the future, the experience of launching fuel cell electric vehicles in the US market will gradually be applied globally. We will judge whether the future fuel cell vehicles will have further development opportunities in other regions based on the acceptance of local markets and the support of laws and regulations. .' High Jane confirmed.
Regarding the Chinese government’s new policy of removing foreign investment and equity restrictions in the field of new energy vehicles, Qian Huikang said that the increasingly open trend is beneficial to the development of the entire industry, but GM will not consider setting up wholly-owned new energy vehicles in China for the time being. Company. 'Our current plan is to produce new energy vehicles through joint ventures SAIC General Motors and SAIC-GM-Wuling. We have worked with SAIC Group in China for more than 20 years to establish a valuable partnership. SAIC GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling have their own research and development capabilities. It is also very strong. At the same time, the Pan Asia Technical Center under SAIC General Motors has very close cooperation with the General Motors Global Technology Center. ' Qian Huikang said, 'For GM, we will not change our development strategy in China. '
Qian Weikang announced that after 24 hours of its 'Zero Emissions' development path in China, interface reporter Li Wenbo will visit the General Motors's second global battery assembly facility in Jinqiao, Pudong - SAIC General Motors Power Battery System Development Center for field visits. According to the general public announcement, the battery factory is comparable to the battery assembly plant in Brownstown, USA, and strictly follows globally uniform production processes and technical standards. Its purpose is to thoroughly and thoroughly 'localize' the batteries. .
In this “battery magic paradise” with a land area of 32,520 square meters, what kind of new story does SAIC-GM write “electricity-driven”?