China has long been the international standard for the innovation in the automotive sector. They have recently undergone a silent revolution that has had a profound effect on the country’s highways. The silent revolution stems around the fact that the electric vehicles sales around the world are slowing. The world is furiously searching for the next sustainable fuel for the transport sector, and the Chinese have embraced what some consider to be that fuel of the future, hydrogen. But not the hydrogen fuel cell that has dominated the sector.
What are our options as far as the “fuel of the future”?
The automotive industry is constantly evolving. The amount of money and resources that are being put into the sector means that the innovation and advancements are on an astonishing level. The difference in the cars of today and the cars of yesteryear are worlds apart. The world embraced the EV and the sales were record setting.
No doubt the infrastructure had a lot to do with that. The governments and countries of the world invested and incentivized the building of refueling and charging stations that welcomed the alternatively fueled car. It would appear that the two countries that embraced the change the most were the United States of America and China. With the latter leading the global sales of the EV in recent years.
However, as with all new industries that seem to pop up out of nowhere the problems began to surface and the public has, year by year, bought less of the electric vehicle. Now a new report from Korean analyst, SNE Research, has the world shocked as to China’s view on the future of the automotive sector. What they have found might end up being the beginning of the end for the EV sector altogether.
What exactly is happening on the roads in China that has the world shocked?
The Korean analyst SNE Research keeps a close eye on the Asian automotive market. What they have found is truly remarkable. China has undergone a cultural and financial revolution over the past three decades or so. The economy in China is massive and people are buying products at an all new rate. The sales of EV’s in China were likely the driving force behind companies like BYD having such great success in the Chinese market.
The fuel cell, whether that be all electric or hydrogen powered, is losing its grip in China. With the amount of EV’s on the road increasing, the infrastructure will eventually struggle to keep up. So the Chinese have decided the fuel of the future is hydrogen. The internal combustion engine has come a long way and now the Chinese are looking to power it with hydrogen instead of gasoline.
The data shows that sales of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles in China now exceed global purchases of fuel-cell cars. Which means that China bought more hydrogen powered ICE vehicles than the whole world’s FCEV(Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) sales in one year. So China is clear about its vision for the future, they are exploring and implementing changes that will be reverberated throughout the globe. The Asian market is on the forefront of innovation it seems.
Will we all be driving cars that are powered by hydrogen in the future?
The answer to that is almost certainly, yes. The hydrogen fuel sector is fast becoming the most sustainable, most viable industry to replace the ever troublesome fossil fuel industry. The companies that are investing into hydrogen are changing the way the industry has operated until now. The free market encourages the competitive market, however the companies of this world have made enough money to last several lifetimes and now, to their credit, are focusing on the future of the automotive sector and its effect on the planet.
