Recently, data from a number of research institutions show that in 2021, the global sales of new energy vehicles achieved growth against trend, and the proportion increased rapidly. In the past year, many car companies around the world released new energy development plans, and more technology companies began to enter the field of new energy vehicles. The analysis pointed out that the automobile industry continued to exert its strength in the direction of digitalization, intelligence and greening, which will promote the sustainable development of global transportation and promote the green recovery of national economies.

Global sales are growing rapidly

According to the latest report of the International Energy Agency, the global sales of electric vehicles was more than double of last year, reaching 6.6 million, accounting for nearly 9% of the overall automobile market.

China’s new energy vehicle market is eye-catching. According to the data of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in 2021, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China were 3.545 million and 3.521 million respectively, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 times, ranking first in the world for seven consecutive years. In the European market, the sales of electric vehicles increased by nearly 70% in 2021, reaching 2.3 million. Among them, in the fourth quarter, the sales of electric vehicles surpassed diesel vehicles for the first time, accounting for 21% of new car sales, setting a record high. In Brazil, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and other countries, the sales of electric vehicles increased by more than 200%; the sales of electric vehicles in the United States, South Korea and Australia increased by more than 100%.

In 2021, world-renowned vehicle companies announced to increase investment in new energy vehicles. General Motors of the USA announced that the planned investment in electric vehicles and autonomous driving will increase from $27 billion to $35 billion between 2020 and 2025. Volkswagen of Germany announced that it planned to increase the share of battery electric vehicles to 50% by 2030. Toyota of Japan announced the sales target of 3.5 million battery electric vehicles by 2030.

“We are accelerating the electrification transformation.” Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said that due to the shortage of chips and other factors, the British automobile production decreased by 6.7% year-on-year, but the output of new energy vehicles increased against the trend, and about a quarter of the cars produced belonged to plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles, especially the output of battery electric vehicles which increased by 72%. Hawes said that on a global scale, electrification has become the general trend. ITOH Motoshige, a professor at Gakushuin University of Japan, believes that from the shrinking market share of fuel vehicles and hybrid vehicles in Japan, it can be seen that the electrification trend will bring great changes to the industrial structure.

Many countries have introduced incentives

The International Council on Clean Transportation believes that sustained, comprehensive and targeted policy incentives will help pave the way for the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market. The report released by the Committee in October last year showed that in order to achieve the goal of electrification transformation of the automobile industry, governments of various countries have taken a number of measures, mainly including the introduction of relevant laws and regulations, fiscal and tax incentives, and the increase of charging infrastructure construction.

In the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline of the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, China proposed to focus on strategic emerging industries such as new energy vehicles, “accelerate the innovation and application of key core technologies, enhance the ability of factor support, and cultivate new kinetic energy for industrial development”. From promoting new energy vehicles to the countryside to ensuring the energy consumption of production enterprises, local measures to support new energy vehicles provide assistance for the rapid development of the industry. By the end of 2021, China had built 75,000 charging stations, 2.617 million charging piles and 1,298 battery swapping stations.

The French government have launched the automobile industry revitalization plan in 2020, and consumers can enjoy the corresponding ecological bonus when purchasing new electric vehicles and second-hand electric vehicles; the governments of Ireland, Canada, Japan and other countries have announced plans to ban the sale of new fuel vehicles by 2030 or 2035; Britain has accelerated the layout of the power battery industry...The report of the International Energy Agency pointed out that during the epidemic prevention and control period, many countries introduced measures such as car purchase subsidies, which strongly supported the development of the electric vehicle market.

More developing countries have accelerated the pace of laying out the new energy vehicle market. Through cooperation with China, Egypt has launched the first domestic electric vehicle; the Kenyan government plans to make the market share of electric vehicles reach 5% by 2025, and will set up charging piles in new buildings; the Malaysian government announced in the 2022 budget that all electric vehicles sold will be tax-free; Chile has made electric power a national strategy; the Argentine government is actively urging the Congress to consider and pass the bill Promoting Sustainable Transportation...

The project official of the United Nations Environment Programme said that the African continent has realized that the new energy vehicle market will create more green jobs, promote the local manufacturing and assembly of the automobile industry, and promote the development of renewable energy. Lisa Viscidi, an energy expert at the Washington-based think tank “Inter-American Dialogue”, agreed that the policies introduced in Latin America will continue to promote the growth of the electric vehicle market in the future.

The electrification trend continues to strengthen

New energy vehicles are an important direction of green development and low-carbon transformation of the global automobile industry. According to data of the World Bank, considering all transportation costs such as vehicles, fuel, operating expenses and losses caused by congestion, by 2050, the global transition to sustainable transportation can save $70 trillion. The rating agency Standard & Poor’s predicted that in 2022, the sales of electric vehicles will account for 7% to 10% of the total global automobile sales, and the electrification transformation trend of the entire automobile industry will continue to strengthen.

Bernard Marr, a German big data expert, published an article in the magazine Forbes that the transportation industry will face three major development trends of electrification, intelligence and service in the future. At present, the green transformation of some European automobile enterprises has turned to the upstream supply chain, such as steel manufacturing, new energy development and rare metal recycling. Volvo, a well-known automobile manufacturer, has started to purchase low-carbon emission steel products, and BMW Group of Germany has also invested in low-carbon emission steelmaking start-ups in the United States.

Huawei, Xiaomi, Tencent, Baidu, Apple, Amazon, Google and other companies have begun to enter the automotive field to promote the integration and development of intelligent and networked new energy vehicles. Sony Group of Japan recently announced that it will set up a new company to explore the electric vehicle market by taking advantage of its advantages in entertainment and sensors. Edie, a professional media platform in the field of sustainable development in the UK, issued a document showing that as countries step up the introduction of policies related to electric vehicles, more technology companies will seek to enter the field of electric vehicles in the next few years.

Analysts also pointed out that the “going global” of many new energy automobile brands in China has been welcomed by the global market, showing its development potential. According to the statistics of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the export volume of new energy vehicles in China will reach 310,000 in 2021. Dudenhoeffer, a well-known German expert in automobile industry and a professor at University of Duisburg-Essen, said that China’s automobile industry not only develops rapidly in the manufacture of electric vehicles, but also has advantages in the fields of automobile digitalization, batteries and design. Nigel Topping, a high-level advocate for climate action at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said that China is in the forefront of the world in the development of electric vehicles, and China’s efforts in sustainable development will have an “incredibly positive influence” on the world.

Link: http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0222/c1002-32356674.html