Workshop

International Workshop on Technology and Policy Solutions for Energy-Efficient and Low Carbon Light-Duty Vehicles

High-level government officials from China’s key ministries responsible for setting fuel economy standards for the country, over 70 experts from semi-governmental research agencies, the academy, NGOs, and industry participated in a two-day conference focusing on near- and longer-term technology and policy solutions for vehicle efficiency and GHG emissions reduction from light-duty vehicles in China.

The conference was sponsored by the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI), the China Automotive Technology Research Center (CATARC), and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and organized by the ICCT.

China has sold over 20 million new vehicles in 2013, of which nearly 18 million were passenger cars. Rapid growth of the vehicle population, especially passenger cars, has posed multiple environmental and social problems, including growing pressure in the nation’s energy security, worsened air quality, and congestion in cities.
Since 2005, the Chinese government has rolled out a series of regulatory standards to curb energy consumption from new passenger cars and a few other vehicle types. In January, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a proposal for the Phase 4 passenger car fuel consumption standard for 2020. However, there are still large gaps between Chinese passenger car fuel-efficiency regulations and those in force in other vehicle markets, in terms of their relative stringency, their capacity to drive technology advancement, and the methodology used in developing the standards.
 
The overall objective of the workshop was to support a full spectrum of policies to significantly reduce energy use and GHG emissions, while promoting technology advancement in the light-duty vehicle sector in China for the 2020–2025 timeframe. Specific objectives and targeted policies included:
  • Release a joint research study between the ICCT and CATARC on a core question—technology pathway and costs—for the upcoming regulation development
  • Provide global best-policy practices to ensure strong enforcement of the standards in China
  • Review longer-term technology pathways to improve vehicle fuel efficiency
The ICCT-CATARC speech revealed results from a ground-breaking study that found per-vehicle technology costs to achieve the recently proposed 2020 standards would be 7,000 RMB ($1,100 USD), substantially less than existing estimates (e.g., 16,000RMB, or $2,600 USD).  
 
Yuefu JIN, Deputy Chief Engineer of CATARC, introduced the latest developments on light commercial vehicle regulation in China.
 
Mike McCarthy, Chief Technology Officer of the California Air Resources Board, presented on the comprehensive compliance mechanism in California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current LDV fuel economy and GHG emissions rulemaking, emphasizing the importance of regulatory authority and adequate non-compliance penalties.
 
GFEI’s Lew Fulton and the Chinese National Energy Bureau’s Kejun JIANG presented the longer-term energy and technology outlook, both globally and for China. These talks provided the big picture for NDRC and MIIT in China’s pathway towards significant fuel use and GHG reduction in longer term.
 
Agenda, attendee list and presentations from this workshop can be downloaded below.
 
 
《轻型汽车节能法规与技术路径国际研讨会》在北京召开。本次研讨会的目标是支持中国2020-2025年轻型车油耗改善和技术进步的全方位政策措施,包括油耗标准、达标灵活性、财税激励和其他辅助政策。来自国家发展和改革委员会、工业和信息化部、国务院发展研究中心、发改委能源研究所、财政科学研究所、国家信息中心、环保部机动车排污监控中心等的领导和专家、70多位来自研究机构、院校和企业的同仁参与了这次研讨会。本研讨会由全球燃油经济项目(Global Fuel Economy Initiative, GFEI)和中国汽车技术研究中心主办,国际清洁交通委员会(ICCT)协办。
 
更低能耗、低碳排放、更清洁的车辆是全球各主要汽车市场近年的方向发展,也将是未来全球汽车产业可持续发展的趋势。在汽车产业高度全球化的今天,我们发现各个市场对车辆节能、减排技术开发、应用的步伐不完全一致。各国政策制定者们对控制车辆燃油消耗、鼓励技术创新的决心以及相应采取的标准及政策手段起到了重要的引导作用。
 
我们把视角投向中国,这个自2009年开始蝉联全球汽车产销量第一位的重要市场。我们发现巨大的市场需求和潜力为中国的汽车工业带来了无限机遇,但同时也带来了巨大挑战。来自汽车部门的能源消耗不断攀升、对国际原油依存度不断增加,对我国整体及交通部门节能和温室气体减排目标的压力日益加大。另一方面,汽车工业发展的原动力——先进技术的开发和应用,在中国尚未能与其第一大市场的身份相匹配。无论从实现汽车节能目标还是从建立长期、可持续国际竞争力的角度讲,中国都需要一系列技术和政策解决方案。
 
本次研讨会聚焦于中国轻型车油耗的改善。自2005年以来,中国政府已经推出了一系列针对乘用车、轻型商用车等的油耗标准和配套政策,对于遏制轻型车油耗增长、推进先进技术应用起到了巨大的作用。今年1月工信部公布了第四阶段(2020年)乘用车油耗标准的提案。我们着重探讨在近中期的未来,为进一步缩小中国轻型车能耗技术和政策上与欧洲和美国等发达汽车市场的差距,技术选择有哪些,以何种代价实现,为了充分鼓励这些技术的发展和应用需要什么的样的标准和政策。
 
来自美国加州空气资源局、英国低排放车办公室的政策制定者,来自国际能源署、加州大学戴维斯分校、国际清洁交通委员会、博世和福特公司、发改委能源研究所、清华大学、中国汽车技术研究中心、中国汽车工程学会、和一汽的交通能源环境政策和技术方面的专家作了精彩报告。
 
会上ICCT和中国汽车技术研究中心的联合发言介绍了一项关于中国轻型车近中期节油技术路线和成本分析的研究结果,表明主流乘用车队实现2020年5升/百公里油耗成本在7000-10000元人民币,这一结果大大低于现有研究的估算,为我国进一步落实第四阶段乘用车油耗标准、以及提出再下一阶段(2025年)目标提供了有益参考。
 
来自中国汽车技术研究中心的金约夫副总工程师介绍了我国对轻型商用车下一阶段油耗法规的展望。
 
加州空气资源局的首席技术官员Mike McCarthy系统介绍了加州过去数年引领美国联邦政府制定严格的轻型车温室气体标准法规的历程,并着重介绍了监管和合规体系的建立和重要性。此外McCarthy博士还介绍了加州推动零排放车的政策经验。
 
GFEI的Lew Fulton博士则将眼光放远到中长期2030-2050年,为大家展望了国际能源署为达到2050年实现相对于2010年基准一半的轻型车油耗和温室气体排放的路径。

Contact:
Hui He