Amidst the widespread pessimism towards fuel vehicles, Guo Shougang, Deputy Director of the Equipment Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, recently stated at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China that while new energy vehicles are rapidly developing, the development of traditional fuel vehicles and internal combustion engine technology cannot be abandoned. Guo's statement was interpreted by the media as encouragement for fuel vehicles from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, suggesting that the country has not given up on fuel vehicles. In fact, the country has never given up on fuel vehicles. While encouraging the development of new energy vehicles, the country has always been encouraging the development of energy-efficient vehicles, which refer to fuel vehicles.

At the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum held in Changzhou on September 24, 2017, Chen Qingtai, Chairman of the China EV100, pointed out that the electrification of automotive power is an inevitable trend. Overall, the replacement of fuel vehicles by electric vehicles will undoubtedly be a significant and creative disruption. However, some believe that the internal combustion engine, with over a century of development and strong vitality, will not easily fade away. For a considerable period in the future, electric and fuel vehicles will coexist. Fu Yuwu, then Chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, pointed out at another forum that China's automotive industry development strategy must align with the national energy strategy. He said that the national energy strategy is clear: based on national conditions, promote diversification as an alternative. Diversification is the cornerstone of the national energy strategy and the direction for automotive power. If the roadmap for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), pure electric vehicles (EV), and fuel cell vehicles is well-planned, both the industry and enterprises will accept it. HEVs, including mild and micro hybrids, should be taken seriously as they contribute to energy conservation and emission reduction.

Based on China's actual situation, the domestic automotive market is still dominated by fuel vehicles. Out of the 350 million vehicles in China, new energy vehicles account for less than 10%, while fuel vehicles account for over 90%. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in the first nine months of this year, 15.046 million passenger vehicles were sold domestically, of which 8.005 million were traditional fuel vehicles (accounting for 53.2%) and 7.041 million were new energy vehicles (accounting for 46.8%). Amidst the widespread pessimism towards fuel vehicles, fuel passenger vehicles still accounted for over 50% in the first three quarters of this year. During a test drive of the Jietu Shanhai T1 in Talimu Lake, Bole City, Xinjiang, the driver who drove me to the airport on the way back said that there are no electric vehicles in Bole due to the long winters and low temperatures, and that fuel vehicles are predominant. China has a vast territory, and in many plateau and alpine regions, fuel vehicles will remain predominant for quite some time.

To encourage new energy vehicle consumption, the country has exempted or reduced vehicle purchase taxes for new energy vehicles for several consecutive years. With the increasing sales of new energy vehicles in recent years, the tax exemption alone has cost the country tens of billions of yuan annually. New fuel vehicles bear almost the entire vehicle purchase tax, while operating fuel vehicles bear most of the fuel surcharge. Additionally, in terms of exports, fuel vehicles still account for a much higher proportion than new energy vehicles. To maintain the current momentum of automotive exports, it is necessary to continue developing fuel vehicles. Judging from the market performance of mainstream domestic automakers, fuel vehicles still have a market. The key lies in keeping up with the times and daring to innovate. Automakers like Chery and Geely have increased sales through innovation in fuel vehicles and adhered to the parallel development of fuel and new energy vehicles, achieving remarkable results despite the fiercely competitive market. Joint ventures such as FAW-Volkswagen, FAW-Toyota, GAC Toyota, and SAIC Volkswagen have also achieved certain results by adhering to a strategy of simultaneous development of fuel and electric vehicles.

The country's development of new energy vehicles aims to reduce dependence on oil imports and carbon dioxide emissions, promoting green travel. Given the range anxiety, charging anxiety, low-temperature anxiety, and high-speed anxiety associated with pure electric vehicles, they cannot replace fuel vehicles. Even if these anxieties are resolved, electric vehicles will still not replace fuel vehicles in the future. Besides improving thermal efficiency, fuel vehicles, especially non-plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, have significant advantages in energy conservation and emission reduction and should be vigorously supported and developed. (End)