A stark statistic shows that China overtook the United States to become the world’s largest carbon‑dioxide emitter in 2004, and its carbon emissions have remained persistently high ever since. According to data from Climate Watch, China and the United States together accounted for 35.8% of global carbon emissions over the past year, with China’s emissions roughly twice those of the United States.

To tackle this challenge, President Xi Jinping proposed in 2020 that China should peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Against the backdrop of the dual‑carbon goals, China’s automotive industry has further set a target of hitting its carbon peak around 2028 ahead of schedule. Vigorously developing battery‑electric vehicles (BEVs) is widely regarded as an effective measure.

However, Wang Zidong does not share this view. “The infrastructure for new‑energy vehicles we are promoting at present fails to deliver satisfactory energy‑saving and emission‑reduction effects. Electric‑vehicle manufacturers need to build competitive advantages in cutting carbon‑dioxide emissions,” he commented.

He further analyzed that carbon‑emission assessment for battery‑electric vehicles should not only focus on their zero‑emission merit during operation, but also cover their full life cycle, especially the substantial emissions generated by China’s current power mix and traction‑battery production.

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that due to pollution from thermal power generation, the share of thermal power in China’s total power output has been declining year‑on‑year since 2014. Nevertheless, thermal power still made up over 70 % of national power generation at 70.19 % in 2020. This indicates that even ignoring massive carbon pollution from traction‑battery manufacturing, battery‑electric vehicles relying heavily on thermal power cannot be deemed the optimal solution for the dual‑carbon goals.

“We must establish a scientific outlook for new‑energy‑vehicle development. Priorities should center on fulfilling China’s energy‑saving and emission‑reduction targets, followed by lowering the country’s dependence on petroleum energy,” Wang Zidong noted.

From this perspective, he put forward five recommendations:

1. Raise the proportion of power generated by renewable energy to cut carbon‑dioxide emissions from national power generation.

2. Adopt energy‑efficient motors and reduce vehicle curb weight to lower energy consumption and battery capacity of battery‑electric vehicles.

3. Minimize logistics and transportation links in traction‑battery production.

4. Develop small‑sized battery‑electric vehicles.

5. Prioritize low‑energy‑consumption technologies in battery recycling.

Still, how can battery‑electric vehicles deliver genuine energy conservation and emission reduction under current conditions? He suggested that battery‑electric vehicles should deploy energy‑efficient drive systems in lightweight design and boldly explore intelligent battery‑swapping service models.

He pointed out that taxis, online‑hailing cars and logistics fleets for commercial operation, rather than private cars with low daily usage, constitute major pollution sources. “In line with China’s 14th Five‑Year Plan and global carbon‑neutrality goals, we need to accelerate structural adjustment and upgrading for domestic electric logistics vehicles (commercial fleets) and the traction‑battery manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, battery‑swapping services can boost new‑energy‑vehicle deployment, especially for commercial fleets, and crucially cut energy consumption, addressing pain points such as high costs, high energy consumption, safety risks and charging difficulties in new‑energy‑vehicle promotion.”

“Whoever masters the application of battery‑swapping‑enabled electric vehicles will seize the commanding heights of new‑energy‑vehicle development and control the most vital application platform for its popularization. Therefore, battery‑swappable commercial vehicles hold the key to current electric‑vehicle growth and deserve our close attention,” said Wang Zidong.

How Should China’s Industrial Chain Respond to the Boom of New‑Energy Vehicles?

Despite multiple technical bottlenecks facing new‑energy vehicles represented by battery‑electric vehicles, their development trend is crystal‑clear.

The year 2021 marked the kick‑off of the 14th Five‑Year Plan. Technology Roadmap for Energy‑Saving and New‑Energy Vehicles 2.0 and Development Plan for the New‑Energy‑Vehicle Industry set the target that new‑energy‑vehicle sales shall account for 20 % of total new‑vehicle sales by 2025 at both industrial and national policy levels, reaffirming China’s firm commitment to automotive electrification.

According to the latest data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s new‑energy‑vehicle sales hit 950 000 units in the first five months, surging 2.2 times year‑on‑year and taking 8.47 % of total new‑vehicle sales. In May alone, sales reached 217 000 units, accounting for 10.2 % of monthly new‑vehicle sales.

Against such backdrop, industry insiders are optimistic about the overall new‑energy‑vehicle market and foresee rapid growth over the next five years. Yet China’s new‑energy‑vehicle industrial chain seems inadequately prepared for the booming market.

Wang Binggang, Group Leader of the National New‑Energy‑Vehicle Innovation Project Expert Panel, stated in an earlier interview with Gasgoo that driven by more than a decade of policy incentives, China ranks first worldwide in new‑energy‑vehicle production scale. A preliminary industrial chain covering traction batteries, drive motors, electronic control systems and charging‑swapping infrastructure has been built, laying a vital foundation for the growth and competitiveness of China’s auto industry. Nevertheless, China still sits in the second tier in terms of technical capability.

Wang Zidong shares the same opinion. He noted that China boasts the world’s most complete automotive industrial chain, yet underlying risks persist, stemming from the early‑stage industrial strategy that prioritized scale over quality.

Take the traction‑battery sector as an example. As the new‑energy‑vehicle market booms, battery manufacturers expand production capacity. However, there exists a mismatch between market technical requirements and actual manufacturing capacity, resulting in massive ineffective capacity without solid market support.

“Many core components of our three‑electric technologies — electronic control systems, batteries, battery‑making equipment and battery raw materials — are not in our hands, or at least not under our effective control,” Wang Zidong stressed frankly.

Looking ahead to the next decade and beyond for China’s new‑energy‑vehicle industry: “We must respect science, respect these forerunners in the industry, and respect engineers across the globe who conduct down‑to‑earth scientific research,” he warned. “Do not be complacent; we still have a long way to go.”

Under such circumstances, he called for open‑minded thinking rather than blindly treating electrification as the sole solution, and exploring technologies best suited to local conditions.

For talent cultivation, he emphasized that researchers must devote themselves whole‑heartedly to technological R&D, and make continuous accumulation to achieve technological breakthroughs.

For enterprises, he advised absorbing merits from diverse viewpoints, acting as technology innovators rather than followers, and building proprietary brands instead of merely focusing on product manufacturing.

Both Technology Roadmap for Energy‑Saving and New‑Energy Vehicles 2.0 and Development Plan for the New‑Energy‑Vehicle Industry highlight one core objective: building an independently‑controllable domestic industrial chain. After all, a powerful auto‑manufacturing nation rests on a strong auto‑parts industry. Without competitive auto‑parts, the automotive industry is built on thin air. Only by consolidating, reinforcing and filling gaps in the automotive industrial chain can weaknesses be turned into opportunities and strengths, and China’s new‑energy‑vehicle market achieve sound expansion.