Energy conservation has become the highlight of the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) industrial exhibition in 2021. With prominence, the Hyundai Motor Group showcased its eye-catching hydrogen products, electric products and exported products displayed at Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center.
Li Hongpeng, vice president of Hyundai Motor Group (China), said that achieving the peak of carbon by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 has become China's national strategy, and the group adopts the “hydrogen + electricity” development roadmap in the country. Hyundai Motor Group will actively support the development of China's new energy vehicles in multiple ways. It officially announced the future-oriented "Hydrogen Energy Vision 2040", in which it plans to popularize hydrogen energy in transportation and various fields by introducing new technologies by 2040. With this vision, Hyundai Motor Group has launched the latest hydrogen energy concepts, technologies, and products to outline a blueprint for the future hydrogen energy society.
For the first time, Hyundai Motor showcased the Chinese version of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle NEXO. The E-GMP pure electric platform models Ioniq 5 and EV6 debuted on the same stage for the first time. Hydrogen-powered intelligent unmanned transport vehicle (trailer drone), rescue hydrogen generator vehicle (RHGV), and the new hydrogen fuel cell energy modular system also made their first overseas premiere at the expo. Trailer drone is a container transportation system that can realize full automatic driving, equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system for the power source. It can be filled with hydrogen and has a cruising range of more than 1,000 kilometers. Hyundai Motor Group also exhibited a new hydrogen fuel cell energy modular system, which can form a powerful 500kW or 1MW (megawatt) power output by stacking 100kW unit modules like “Lego blocks” as an emergency power supply system for large-scale ships or IT companies and other large-scale power-consuming enterprises.
The series of hydrogen car products launched by Hyundai Motor at the CIIE is a window that showcases South Korea’s fast and steady progress towards hydrogen society. In particular, it should be pointed out that Hyundai Motor's goal is not only hydrogen-powered vehicle products but also providing solutions for building a global hydrogen-powered society. South Korea's acquisitions in the United States also show its move towards a comprehensive hydrogen energy development goal. In contrast, Japan, which once led the development of hydrogen vehicles, could become conservative and hesitant again in this regard.
ANBOUND has always been an advocate of building a hydrogen society. New hydrogen energy vehicles are an extremely important part of the hydrogen society, particularly for hydrogen vehicles that are directly powered by hydrogen fuel, as they provide a solution for zero carbon emissions. Looking from the perspective of the transition to new energy vehicles, ANBOUND’s founder Chan Kung believes that the development of the global automotive industry is seeing certain changes.
The automobile industry in the United States is heavily reliant on geographical advantages, particularly those of North America. It is only in the truck industry, including heavy trucks, that the U.S. may be able to maintain its leading product position in the future. Having said that, the United States retains a certain competitive advantage in industrial technology patents. In terms of electric vehicles, the United States' passenger car focus is entirely dependent on the advantages brought by Tesla. Other conventional passenger cars in the United States are essentially on their last legs and have no future.
While the automobile industries in Germany and France had a glorious past, their future now is rather uncertain. Two elements support them now. The first is that they rely on the protection and support of the European Union; the second is they inherit refined manufacturing traditions, and this is especially true in Germany. Because of the disadvantages of the manufacturing environment, the auto industries of the two countries have long been experiencing failure, yet due to the two elements mentioned above, the German and French automobile industries can still hold on for some time. However, when traditional American automobile manufacturing fails, the German and French automobile industries will quickly follow suit and spiral out of control.
The Japanese automobile industry, on the other hand, has always worked hard, but a serious lack of thinkers is hurting the industry. Therefore, the Japanese automobile industry generally suffers from losing its sense of direction. It conducted early researches and development in certain technologies, yet it is often too conservative in its market strategy, and often losses preemptive opportunities. If there is a chance, it is expected that after the declining auto industry in the United States and Europe is over, that of Japan will thrive and continue for some time.
As for the automobile industry of China and South Korea, originally the gap between the auto industry between the two countries has narrowed. However, due to China's social-environmental issues, while its state enterprises advance, its private sector is on the retreat. It is estimated that South Korea will widen this gap in the future. This is because South Korean business leaders often possess a higher level of intelligence and a greater degree of concentration in capital and technology, which are conducive to large-scale manufacturing industries. It is expected that a few years later, South Korea’s automobile industry will enjoy the opportunity to thrive.
Final analysis conclusion:
New energy vehicles have become the future direction of the development of the global automobile industry. Such global industrial transformation has brought opportunities for the industry to reshuffle. The layout of the automobile industry in various countries may see some changes. As the Korean automobile industry values hydrogen vehicles, it can make major progress. For China's new energy vehicle industry, which is still striving for scale expansion in the field of electric vehicles, it would be quite necessary for it to reconsider its technology roadmap and industrial prospects.
