New energy vehicles refer to all other types of vehicles except gasoline and diesel engines, including fuel cell vehicles, hybrid vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and solar-powered vehicles. These vehicles have lower emissions of exhaust gas.
At present, most of the new energy vehicles sold in the Chinese market are hybrid and pure electric vehicles. According to the definition of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, new energy vehicles refer to vehicles that use non-conventional vehicle fuels as their power source (or use conventional vehicle fuels and adopt new on-board power devices), integrate advanced technologies in vehicle power control and driving, and have advanced technical principles, new technologies, and new structures.
The “Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2012-2020)” issued by the State Council clearly states that new energy vehicles mainly refer to plug-in hybrid vehicles, pure electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles.
Blade electric vehicles:
Blade electric vehicles (BEV) are a type of vehicle that uses a single battery as its energy storage and power source. They utilize a battery as their energy storage and power source, supplying electrical energy to the motor to drive the motor and propel the vehicle.
Advantages: Relatively simple and mature, as long as there is electricity supply, they can be charged.
Disadvantages: The energy stored per unit weight of the battery is too small. Additionally, the batteries for electric vehicles are more expensive, and there is no economic scale yet, so the purchase price is higher. As for the cost of use, some trial results are more expensive than cars, while others are only 1/7 to 1/3 of the cost of cars. This mainly depends on the battery’s lifespan and the local prices of oil and electricity.
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) refers to a vehicle whose driving system is composed of two or more individual driving systems that can operate simultaneously. The driving power of the vehicle is provided by individual driving systems alone or multiple driving systems together, depending on the actual driving state of the vehicle. Due to the differences in components, configurations, and control strategies, there are various forms of Hybrid Electric Vehicles.
Advantages:
1. After adopting hybrid power, the maximum power of the internal combustion engine can be determined based on the average power needed. The engine is relatively smaller, operating in the optimal working condition with low fuel consumption and less pollution. Since the internal combustion engine can continuously operate and the battery can be constantly charged, the driving range is similar to that of conventional vehicles.
2. Due to the battery, it is very convenient to recycle the kinetic energy during downhill driving.
3. In downtown areas, the internal combustion engine can be turned off, allowing the battery to drive alone, achieving zero emissions.
4. With an internal combustion engine, it is easy to solve the problems encountered by pure electric vehicles that consume a lot of energy, such as air conditioning, heating, defrosting, etc.
5. It can utilize existing gas stations for refueling, without the need for further investment.
6. The battery can be kept in good working condition, avoiding overcharging and overdischarging, extending its service life and reducing costs.
7. The vehicle has multiple power sources that can work simultaneously, resulting in excellent power performance.
Disadvantages: The system structure is relatively complex; the fuel-saving effect is not obvious for long-distance high-speed driving.
Fuel cell vehicles
Fuel cell vehicles are also electric vehicles, but the “battery” is a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell. Compared to ordinary chemical batteries, fuel cells can be refueled, usually with hydrogen. Some fuel cells can use methane and gasoline as fuel, but they are usually limited to industrial applications such as power plants and forklifts.
Compared to traditional automobiles, fuel cell vehicles have different structures and power transmission from those of conventional internal combustion engine-driven vehicles, which puts new demands on the overall design of the car. The engine-transmission powertrain of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles does not exist in fuel cell vehicles, instead replaced by equipment such as fuel cell reactors, batteries, hydrogen tanks, motors, DC/DC converters, and the braking system and suspensions also change accordingly. Therefore, according to the characteristics of fuel cell vehicles, corresponding changes and improvements should be made in the design.
The advantages of fuel cell vehicles include:
1.Zero or near-zero emissions.
2.Reduced water pollution caused by oil leaks.
3.Lower greenhouse gas emissions.
4.Improved fuel economy.
5.Improved engine combustion efficiency.
6.Smooth and silent operation.
