Post date: Sep 17, 2010 12:34:47 PM
Low-speed electric vehicles have been around for more than one hundred years. In many regions of today’s China, they are a common scene. These two-, three-, or four-wheeled battery vehicles are usually employed only within specific cities or counties, and live in a legal gray zone: barred from expressways, frequently un-registered and un-insured. Citing safety risks, some cities, like Guangzhou, have banned most of them. They are allowed or even welcomed in other places, including many in Shandong province, due to not only the convenience they afford to local people but also economic contributions they make or promise to the local economy (low-tech EV industry is thriving in some parts of Shandong).
(The picture: Geely’s EK-1, powered by lead acid batteries and having a top speed of 80 km/h and range of 80 km, is now suitable for commercialization thanks to the new requirements. )
What exactly counts as high-speed, insurable EVs? How fast is "high" speed? It seems that even the central government of China does not have a firm answer on this.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, responsible for producing industry regulations, just revised and added some key technical standards for EVs allowed for commercialization in a document issued earlier this week. In four places, the requirements are lowered from the 2009 version of the document.
First, pure-electric cars should be able to run at a top speed of no less than 80 km/h, lowered from 100 km/h last year.
Second, pure-electric cars should be able to run at least 80 km on one charge, lowered from 100 km last year.
Third, pure-electric cars should get a full charge in no more than 7 hours, compared with 5 hours last year.
Fourth, plug-in hybrid cars should have a pure-electric range of no less than 70 km, lowered from 100 km last year.
Overall, it says the electric cars that are to be promoted can have lower-speeds and shorter-ranges.
This document, titled "Directions for Technological Advance and Reform of the Automobile Industry," is not a law on vehicle registration and insurance, but can have a significant impact on these matters as it tells automakers what kind of electric cars they should make.
Some new specifications are included. For example, power consumption of an e-car should be no more than 0.16 kWh per km (Nissan Leaf is rated at about 0.15 kWh/km). The document also puts forth a set of new requirements on EV braking system and battery insulation, .
The act of lowering EV standards seems requested by some automakers. Zotye Auto, the maker of 2008 EV, recently said that low-speed e-cars using lead acid batteries should be promoted since they are more affordable and no less useful in many places compared with high-speed models. And in the past two years Geely showcased two electric versions of Gleagle Panda mini car, powered by lead acid (the EK-1) and Lithium Ion (the EK-2) batteries, respectively. The EK-1 has a top speed of 80 km/h and range of 80 km, and became suitable for commercialization thanks to the new requirements.