Introduction: Since China put forward the "double carbon" goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, energy transition has become an unavoidable topic in all walks of life. Especially in industries with a high proportion of energy consumption, such as automobiles, it is urgent to find new sustainable energy sources as soon as possible.
According to the data of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from January to November 2023, the sales volume of new energy vehicles in China will be 83040,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 367%, with a market share of up to 308%。It can be seen that the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China is increasing year by year, showing an irreversible growth trend.
Hydrogen is the ultimate form of the energy transition
At present, there are a variety of parallel routes in the market, which can be technically divided into four types: pure electric, plug-in hybrid, extended range and hydrogen energy.
According to China's new energy vehicle sales data, in November 2023, the sales of pure electric vehicles in China's new energy market will reach 520,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 349%；Plug-in hybrid model sales were 1610,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 357%；Sales of extended-range hybrid models reached 820,000 units, up 188% y/y.
From the data, we know that the market demand growth rate of range extension and plug-in hybrid models is higher than that of pure electric vehicles, which is mainly due to the fact that users have certain concerns about the battery range and safety of pure electric vehicles, and cannot be used as a perfect solution to replace fuel vehicles. However, range extender and plug-in hybrid models have not gotten rid of their dependence on gasoline in a practical sense, so these are considered to be transitional technologies in the market.
On the other hand, water is the ultimate reaction product, and hydrogen and oxygen fuel cells are considered to be the most ideal way to generate energy. It not only has great advantages in energy density, but also in terms of energy replenishment efficiency, similar to gasoline can be filled up in 3-5 minutes of refilling, and there is no anxiety about battery charging time.
At the national level, hydrogen energy has also been included in China's "14th Five-Year Plan", and 69 prefecture-level, county-level and municipal governments have clearly proposed to develop hydrogen energy-related industries. The plan proposes to increase the number of hydrogen electric vehicles to 50,000 by 2025 and popularize 1 million hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2035.
Therefore, whether it is from the top-level design of the country or the underlying logic of users, hydrogen energy is a very promising energy mode in the future.
However, relying on the reality of our country, whether it is the relative backwardness of technology research and development, or the spatial dislocation of hydrogen production and hydrogen use in infrastructure. We must be soberly aware that the foundation for the large-scale development of China's controllable hydrogen energy vehicle industry is very weak, and there are still many key problems to be solved.
Hyundai is a leader in hydrogen energy
Looking abroad, Europe and the United States are transforming and developing lithium batteries, and they are criticizing hydrogen energy. However, China, Japan and South Korea are still insisting that hydrogen energy is the most ideal energy source in the future, and are committed to advancing the research and development process. Among them, Hyundai Motor, as one of the top three companies in the global hydrogen fuel cell field, has been actively responding to China's call for "high-quality development" and "dual carbon" goals under the people-oriented vision.
Bet on hydrogen fuel, can it be a breakthrough for modern cars?In the face of the wave of change in the automotive industry, through the Beijing Hyundai Hi-Tech Super Technology Day, we will go deep into the technology treasure house of Hyundai Group's future mobility.
As early as 1988, Hyundai Motor took the lead in the research of hydrogen fuel cells. After several years of painstaking research, Hyundai's first-generation mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the ix35 FCEV, was first launched in 2013 and attracted attention for its hydrogen fuel cell system, which was awarded the title of "Ward's Top 10 Engines" in 2015, which is known as the Oscar of the engine field.
In addition, Hyundai Motor launched the second-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicle NEXO in 2018, which is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system with performance comparable to that of an internal combustion engine. Nexo Motors has increased the capacity of its hydrogen storage tank to 1566L, the maximum power generation efficiency can reach 64%, which improves the low temperature performance to minus 30 degrees Celsius while improving the efficiency of the motor.
Nexo has also further reduced the size of the components of the hydrogen fuel cell system, and has succeeded in reducing the weight of the module, resulting in a structure with optimal efficiency and durability. The hydrogen storage tank has undergone collision, rupture and combustion tests, and its safety performance has been authoritatively verified, and the car is equipped with a 3-stage air purification system, which can remove 99 percent from the air9% inhalable particulate matter.
It can be seen that Hyundai Motor is not only a global leader in technology, but also fully capable of contributing to China's hydrogen energy development plan for the future. Hyundai Motor and China's hydrogen energy are actually a two-way street.
In order to accelerate the implementation of hydrogen energy in China, Hyundai Motor Group has established the first overseas hydrogen fuel cell R&D, production, and sales base "HTWO Guangzhou". From the establishment of the project in February 2019 to the completion of the project in June 2023, the hydrogen fuel cell production line, which lasted for four years, has begun to be put into operation, and has the world's top level in terms of safety, intelligence, and commercialization.
In terms of safety performance, HTWO Guangzhou is equipped with a 4-reuse hydrogen safety precaution system to prevent leakage and ensure the safe preparation of hydrogen through air conditioning equipment, mechanical exhaust devices, real-time monitoring and other means.
In terms of intelligence, the whole production process of the factory adopts ICT technology, and 90% of the automated production is realized through intelligent analysis and decision-making of sensors and core components installed in the factory, which greatly improves logistics efficiency and safety status.
In terms of commercialization, as of October 2023, the cumulative global sales volume of the Nexo, a hydrogen fuel cell SUV equipped with Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel cell system, exceeded 370,000 units, ranking first in the world for hydrogen energy batteries.
After realizing the current complete production process, Hyundai Motor is expanding its hydrogen energy business. It is planned that by 2030, the annual output of hydrogen fuel cell systems will reach 700,000 sets, which will be applied to various fields such as urban air transportation and ships in the future to achieve stable and sustainable development.
On the whole, hydrogen fuel cells have a higher energy density and cleaner energy density than lithium batteries, and are destined to come to the forefront in the future energy transition, and Hyundai Motor will assume an important role as a global leader in hydrogen energy vehicles with its deep technical experience.
In addition to the HTWO Guangzhou plant, Beijing Hyundai, which Hyundai Motor has cooperated with BAIC Motor for many years, has been leading the development of the Chinese joint venture market with the support of the technical strength of the two groups. Beijing Hyundai will accelerate its transition to the era of smart electric vehicles, including hydrogen energy, electrification, and hybridization, and is expected to achieve OTA for all products in 2025. Beijing Hyundai will occupy a place in the highly competitive market with world-class quality in the future.