The advantages of developing low-speed electric vehicles outweigh the disadvantages

I. Research background Accelerating the development and development of new energy automobile industry has a very important strategy for advancing China's auto industry structure upgrading and economic development mode transformation, enhancing China's auto industry's ability for independent development and international competitiveness, and promoting sustainable economic and social development. significance. With the introduction of relevant subsidy policies, the technical route for the development of China's key supporting pure electric vehicles has been basically clear. Although the research and development of China's pure electric vehicle products have made great progress in recent years, its industrialization has been hindered and constrained by many factors such as weak basic research, high production costs and lagging of supporting facilities. Even though pure electric vehicles can enjoy dual subsidy from the central and local governments in some demonstration pilot cities, the prices are still high, coupled with factors such as immature technology and imperfect matching, the product companies developed cannot achieve mass production. "The vast majority of pure electric vehicle products have not been introduced to the market and individual listed products have not been widely recognized by consumers. Strategic emerging industries must be based on major development needs and cannot meet market demand. The new energy automotive industry with pure electric vehicles as its core will lose its significance.

Compared with the near-perfect traditional fuel vehicles, the early stage of industrialization of electric vehicles is faced with many constraints, and there is always a contradiction between technology maturity and market size, user penetration and infrastructure construction, industrial scale and production costs. It is difficult to "step in place." Faced with the plight of industrialization of electric vehicles, all sectors of the industry are thinking about exploring how to achieve breakthroughs. In addition to advancing a series of fiscal and tax policies from a strategic height, the competent authorities need to consider what electric cars are currently required by consumers for performance and price in terms of market demand.

In contrast to the market difficulties in which existing high-end high-priced electric vehicle products cannot be popularized even under high subsidies, the two or three cities and the urban-rural junctions in some provinces, such as Shandong, Jiangsu, and Hunan, are quietly emerging. Smaller, lower-profile, small pure electric vehicles that use lead-acid batteries (because they have lower maximum design speeds, often referred to as low-speed electric vehicles) can meet some of the travel demand due to lower acquisition costs and lower operating costs. , It is quite popular with consumers and has formed a certain market scale and is showing rapid development.

The huge market potential has attracted a large number of companies to start investing in the low-speed electric car industry. These enterprises are of mixed quality, except for some low-speed automobiles and special-purpose automobile manufacturing enterprises, most of them are non-automobile-manufactured private enterprises such as golf carts, electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, or parts and components manufacturers. These enterprises cannot meet the requirements for entry of existing new energy automobile enterprises. The low-speed electric vehicle products produced by them cannot meet the relevant requirements for the entry of existing new energy vehicle products, and they cannot enter the “Vehicle Production Enterprises and Products Bulletin” issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Therefore, you can't go on the card or drive on the road. However, due to the lack of clear restrictions in national policies and regulations, many enterprises that do not have the qualification for automobile production have started to assemble low-speed electric vehicles, and they have illegally produced and sold them in the names of “electric sightseeing cars, electric scooter, and electric assisted disabled vehicles”. . Some local governments, in the name of supporting the development of new energy automobile industry, also acquiesced that these low-speed electric vehicles run unlicensed. The lack of a management system has led to the proliferation of low-quality, unqualified low-speed electric vehicles in some areas, seriously affecting the market and traffic order, and the need for regulation.

Many well-known experts and scholars in the industry believe that low-speed electric vehicles meet the current technological level and have high cost-effectiveness. They are breakthroughs in the dilemma of new energy vehicles industrialization. Therefore, it is suggested that priority should be given to the development of low-speed electric vehicles, and some developed countries in the automotive industry will allow and support development. For low-speed electric vehicles, it is recommended that the competent department of the industry implement special management of low-speed electric vehicles, relax access conditions, and allow on-road driving.

There is still much controversy about the development of low-speed electric vehicles. The focus is: What are the advantages and disadvantages of low-speed electric vehicles? What are the pros and cons of developing low-speed electric vehicles? Based on the pros and cons analysis, what kind of management mode should the competent authorities adopt? Are they left unattended, are they included in the strict management of high-speed electric vehicles, or are they classified separately for differentiated management? Focusing on the above issues, this paper has carried out analysis and demonstration and put forward suggestions for related management ideas.

Second, the main advantages of low-speed electric vehicles and development benefits Low-speed electric vehicles and ordinary high-speed electric vehicles, the cost is more reasonable, the use of economy, ease of use, technology and market maturity, has obvious advantages.

Table 1 The main advantages of low-speed electric vehicles

The price of low-speed electric vehicles is between 250,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan. Even if there is no government financial subsidy, it can be quickly popularized. Low-speed electric vehicles can control the electric power consumption under 15kWh for a hundred kilometers, and the cost per kilometer is extremely low. Most of them are equipped with lead-acid batteries. Although their service lives are relatively short, they can be recycled after being scrapped. Depreciation costs are still considered throughout the entire life cycle. Lower than high-performance battery such as lithium ion battery. The low-speed electric car is easy to operate and is suitable for special groups such as retired elderly people and family women. It has a simple structure and is easy to maintain; it does not require high charging infrastructure, and parking and charging are convenient. Low-speed electric vehicles mainly use maintenance-free lead-acid batteries and low-power drive motors, and the product technology is quite mature; the "new energy vehicle manufacturing enterprises and product access management rules" classify pure electric passenger cars using lead-acid batteries into maturity. The period is the same as that of conventional automotive products. There is no restriction on production scale, sales area, scope of use and conditions, and there is no need to monitor the running status of products sold in real time. Low-speed electric vehicles meet the needs of most middle- and low-income people. They are ideal vehicles for micro-mobility. The upgrade needs of huge electric bicycles, motorcycles, low-speed vehicles and other users constitute a huge potential market.

Based on the above advantages of low-speed electric vehicles, if they can be reasonably regulated and guided, the development of low-speed electric vehicles will bring more significant economic and social benefits: a huge emerging industry can be formed, and the key to new energy vehicles such as power batteries and drive motors can be driven. The development of parts and components industry, while creating a large number of employment opportunities; can meet the needs of China's vast rural areas, townships, and urban and rural areas and other underdeveloped areas, to ease the difficulties in the construction of new rural areas, and help promote the development of urbanization in China. The process can promote the rolling development of charging facilities in China, and it is conducive to the promotion of positive interaction between China's electric vehicles and charging facilities. It can replace high-energy and high-emission vehicles such as motorcycles and low-speed vehicles, and has significant energy-saving and emission-reduction effects. ; Can become the mainstream of the direction of the upgrading of small-scale fuel vehicles, is an important breakthrough in China's auto industry independent innovation.

Third, the main disadvantages of low-speed electric vehicles and the development of disadvantages The advantages of low-speed electric vehicles are obvious, but the current typical products themselves have some obvious shortcomings, can not be ignored. The reliability and pollution controllability of low-speed electric vehicles are general. There is still a large gap between high-speed electric vehicles and comfort in use and safety.

Table 2 The main shortcomings of low-speed electric vehicles

In terms of quality reliability, although the structure of the low-speed electric vehicle is simple and the key component technology is mature, the reliability of the product is not high. The structure of low-speed electric vehicles is greatly simplified compared to conventional automobiles that are made up of tens of thousands of components. The main technologies used for maintenance-free lead-acid batteries and low-power drive motors are quite mature and are used in high-speed electric vehicles. Compared with high-power drive motors and high-power drive motors, the control system is simple and the performance is relatively reliable; however, the entire electric vehicle product is not simply assembled to ensure performance, and the system's integration capability is very high. At present, the main manufacturers of low-speed electric vehicles rarely have a complete four-vehicle production process, product testing capabilities are still not perfect, poor production consistency can not guarantee product quality.

In terms of pollution controllability, low-speed electric vehicles mainly use lead-acid batteries, and there is indeed a certain degree of pollution risk (mainly in recycling rather than production), but it is basically controllable. At present, although the recycling system of used lead-acid batteries in China has basically been established, there are many problems such as non-standard recycling channels, serious environmental pollution, and low resource regeneration rates. Although lithium batteries do not contain high-polluting heavy metal substances such as lead, they still have environmental hazards: The battery fluid (lithium hexafluorophosphate) is highly corrosive, and it easily decomposes to generate HF in contact with water, and reacts easily with strong oxidants, resulting in combustion of P2O5; Degradation of toxic and harmful substances such as organic solvents and their decomposition and hydrolysis products will cause serious pollution to the atmosphere, water and soil and cause damage to the ecosystem. At present, the domestic power lithium battery recycling system has not yet been established, and the related pollution control technology research is still basically blank. Relatively speaking, the recycling system of used lead-acid batteries is relatively complete, such as strengthening management, and the pollution is basically controllable. The number of lead-acid batteries used in low-speed electric vehicles is much greater than that for vehicle start batteries and electric bicycle power batteries. It is necessary to improve the management system to ensure that used batteries are centralized in formal recycled lead enterprises to receive environmental protection and recycling.

In terms of comfort, based on cost control, the configuration of low-speed electric cars is simple, resulting in relatively poor power performance and comfort performance. The high price of electric vehicles is the most important factor restricting their popularization. The decision to increase the cost of electric vehicles is mainly for key components such as battery packs and management systems, motors and drive systems, high-voltage protection and wiring harnesses, and electrical accessories (air conditioning, steering, and braking). The peak power of the motor determines the maximum speed and the peak torque determines the acceleration time. In pursuit of higher dynamic performance, the rated power and peak power of the motor will be greatly increased. The volume and heat dissipation of the motor will change greatly. The power module of the controller The upgrade has resulted in a significant increase in costs. The cost of the battery system accounts for a large proportion of the total cost. The cost of the lead-acid battery is relatively low. The total voltage of the general design is about 60V and does not require high-voltage protection. Therefore, the cost of the lithium battery system is much lower than that of the lithium battery system. Battery capacity, lead-acid battery cost is equivalent to 1/6 of the lithium battery system. After 100 years of development, the performance of lead-acid batteries has been greatly improved. The specific energy, specific power, service life, and rapid charging performance of horizontal valve-regulated lead-acid batteries are all higher than those of ordinary lead-acid batteries; Continue to improve the performance and life of lead-acid batteries.

In terms of safety and security, the safety configuration of low-speed electric vehicles is relatively low, and there are indeed certain safety risks. The safety performance of low-speed electric vehicles is lower than that of ordinary automotive products, but it is generally superior to alternative vehicles such as electric bicycles. Low-speed electric vehicles generally use maintenance-free lead-acid batteries, and the risk of explosion during collisions is low (as opposed to lithium-battery vehicles). The actual speed of low-speed electric vehicles is low, and the risk of collision damage is also reduced to some extent. Abroad, the collision safety requirements for similar products of low-speed electric vehicles are basically exempted. Major domestic manufacturers rarely consider crashworthiness requirements when designing products and selecting materials, and basically do not have active safety devices such as ABS and ESP. However, low-speed electric vehicles have greater design margin for collision safety, and it is not difficult to meet safety safety inspection requirements such as occupant protection through design improvements.

Based on the above-mentioned shortcomings of low-speed electric vehicles, blind development without technical improvement and management specifications may bring about the following disadvantages:

It is not conducive to the improvement of the technical level of China's electric vehicle industry. The way to reduce the cost of electric vehicles by sacrificing the important performance of the products may hinder the technical progress of the industry. As one of the strategic emerging industries with high-tech content, new energy vehicles will be able to lead the long-term development of the industry in the future with the application of new power batteries and management systems, new motors and control systems. Low-speed electric vehicles mainly use low-energy lead-acid batteries and low-power drive motors, and their technological content is relatively low. Future developments may increase momentum, but it is difficult to drive quality improvement.

It is not conducive to structural adjustment and optimization of China's auto industry. The popularity of low-speed electric vehicles is not conducive to optimizing the structure of automotive products, and may also induce social resources and funds to invest in low-speed electric vehicles and affect the development of new energy automobile industry. Low-speed electric vehicles have lower technical barriers. Once unconditionally released, many low-speed electric vehicle manufacturers will blindly invest in the market, and they will be able to make a wholesale investment. Large-scale, low-level, redundant construction is inevitable. Some companies have even used the opportunity to encroach on money to create land, etc. The waste of resources, scattered, chaotic and poor industrial structure will further deteriorate, and the degree of industrial concentration will further decrease.

Not conducive to the improvement of China's auto industry's international competitiveness. After the financial crisis, the developed countries in the automotive industry strongly support the development of new energy vehicles. Multinational automotive companies are actively developing advanced electric vehicles. With the strong support of the government, China’s new energy vehicles have made certain breakthroughs. Although certain problems are currently facing, if low-speed electric vehicles are to be focused on at this time, low-speed electric vehicles may be used as strategic products for the development of new energy vehicles and may be enlarged. The gap in technology between China's new energy vehicles and foreign countries has caused China's auto industry to lose a good opportunity for leapfrog development.

IV. Regulatory management in a timely manner, guiding the development of low-speed electric vehicles outweighs the disadvantages Development of low-speed electric vehicles has significant economic and social benefits in terms of economic development, employment promotion, meeting travel demand, promotion of energy-saving emission reduction and independent innovation. However, if left to its blind development, it may affect the improvement of the industry's technological level, the optimization of industrial structure and the improvement of international competitiveness. It is not conducive to the long-term and sustainable development of China's new energy automotive industry. The performance and quality problems of low-speed electric vehicles can be solved by formulating corresponding mandatory technical standards and requiring companies to improve their technology; the problems of hidden pollution caused by lead-acid batteries can be prevented by standardizing the recycling system. The maximum design speed of electric vehicles is significantly related to the cost. Increasing the maximum design speed is a qualitative change for key components such as batteries, motors, and electronic controls. Reducing the maximum design speed can indeed significantly reduce the production cost of electric vehicles; The safety, reliability, comfort, and other performance levels of automobiles need to pay a corresponding cost, but the improved low-speed electric vehicles still have a certain cost advantage over ordinary electric vehicles.

How to manage low-speed electric vehicles has become a difficult problem that industry management cannot avoid and must face. If strictly in accordance with the current principles of new energy vehicle companies and product access management, the adoption of a one-size-fits-all management model for low-speed electric vehicles is mandatory to completely ban them, which does not meet the actual conditions of industrial development and the law of market development; if left unchecked, acquiescible violations of the production and sales of enterprises The shoddy products will flood the market and will surely affect the healthy and orderly development of China's new energy automotive industry. If the current management does not work, wait until the development of low-speed electric vehicles to a larger industry scale, then it will surely repeat the electric two. The Wheeler "The National Standard is Postponed".

The industrialization of electric vehicles is a complex system project with long-term, systematic, and progressive characteristics. The development of low-speed electric vehicles is not only to adapt to the current low level of technology, but also to have a longer-term strategic significance. From a practical point of view, low-speed electric vehicles are excellent products that promote the industrialization of electric vehicles in China and start the large-scale consumer market for electric vehicles. From a long-term perspective, low-speed electric vehicles can be used as vehicles for special regions, special-purpose vehicles, and special vehicles. For long-term development, its performance level will also increase with the development of key component technologies. In order to solve the market situation where the existing high-speed electric vehicle products are priceless, the current level of electric vehicles is effectively used, and under the premise of developing the general direction of electric vehicles, priority is given to the development of low market demand and low technological development. Electric vehicles are more in line with China’s actual national conditions and are more conducive to the promotion and application of electric vehicles. The current regulation of the development of low-speed electric vehicles can effectively expand the industrial scale of electric vehicles. Through technological improvements, it can also promote the industrialization of key technologies and thus promote the development of high-end electric vehicles. This is the only way to realize the industrialization of electric vehicles.

The resolute suppression, forced suppression, or laissez-faire of low-speed electric vehicles does not conform to the scientific concept of development. Strengthen management and guide the development of low-speed electric vehicles, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It is recommended that relevant departments fully learn from the experience of foreign government-related product classification management and based on national conditions, construct an effective management system in a timely manner, identify the classification management model of low-speed electric vehicles as early as possible, and guide them by formulating corresponding technical specifications and regulations. And specifications.