WORKING PAPER 2018-16 Fuel-efficiency technology trend assessment for LDVs in China: Vehicle technology Authors: Zifei Yang Date: 17 September 2018 Keywords: vehicle technology, fuel efficiency, passenger car 1 Background Fuel eciency Fuel-consumption standards drive down technologies China’s use of fuel by the on-road sector and encourage the uptake of advanced vehicle-efficiency technologies. Under- Advanced Vehicle Thermal Hybrids and standing the need for a policy roadmap Transmissions engines technology management electrifction and long-term strategies to provide cer- tainty for long-term fuel consumption, Figure 1 Categorization of fuel efficiency technologies in the briefing technology advancement, and potential compliance costs for manufacturers, This series of technical work- and expected to be in production in China is looking ahead to advance post- ing papers aims to provide a the next 5-10 years. 2020 standards for light-duty vehicles. comprehensive understanding of This research relies on information In its “Made in China 2025” strategic the current availability, effective- from publicly available sources, third- initiative (MIIT, 2015), China set a 2025 ness, and future market penetration party databases, and information fleet efficiency target of 4 L/100 km of key fuel-efficiency technologies from the participating partners. Our for passenger cars, a 20% decrease that manufacturers are likely to use approach includes: from the 2020 target of 5 L/100 km. In in China by 2030. This information enables a more accurate, China-spe- the Technology Roadmap for Energy • A detailed literature survey, cific understanding of future technol- Saving and New Energy Vehicles pub- including both Chinese and global ogy pathways. lished by the Society of Automotive regulatory documents, official Engineers of China (SAE China, 2016), We group technologies into sev- announcements, and industry and a 2030 fleet efficiency target of 3.2 eral categories: advanced engine, academic reports. L/100 km was set. To evaluate whether transmission, vehicle technologies, • Analysis of databases from Polk and how these targets can be met, it is thermal management, and hybrids and and Segment Y. essential to understand what technolo- electrification (Figure 1). The specific gies will be available within the 2020- • Conversations with manufactur- technologies we considered include 2030 timeframe and what the costs ers, tier one suppliers, research those that are available today and of applying those technologies in the entities, and domestic and inter- others that are under development Chinese market will be. national experts. Acknowledgments: The authors thank the Energy Foundation China for sponsoring this series of studies. We greatly appreciate the generous contributions of time by the following experts: Ligang Wang (SAE-China), Ernst Platten (Röchling), Hao Wang (CATARC). © INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON CLEAN TRANSPORTATION, 2018 WWW.THEICCT.ORG FUEL-EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGY TREND ASSESSMENT FOR LDVS IN CHINA: VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY For each key technology, we discuss redesign including parts consolida- use on body-in-white (BIW), or the how it reduces passenger-car fuel tion, improved manufacturing pro- steel structure of the vehicle before consumption, its effectiveness in cesses, and holistic optimization could painting and addition of other parts, reducing fuel consumption, and its result in 5% –10% improvement (ICCT, was less than 20% per vehicle (Fan, current level of application or poten- 2013). Over the past two decades, 2009). Nowadays, many new mod- tial application in the China market. Chinese manufacturers increasingly els claim BIW with 50% –70% HSS. Wherever applicable, we compare shifted traditional materials toward Automotive steels can be classified technology trends in China with those high-strength steel, aluminum, in several ways. The definition of HSS in the United States and the European magnesium, and plastics and polymer in the United States is steel with yield Union to reflect potential technology composites to reduce vehicle mass. strength equal or higher than 480 pathways in the long term. megapascals (MPa). But the definition The application of lightweighting of HSS by Chinese OEMs includes a This working paper assesses technol- technology is especially important for range from 180 MPa to 780 MPa (Table ogy progress and new developments electric vehicles because lower curb 1). Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., the in vehicle technologies, including weight reduces the energy needed largest steel company in China, has lightweighting, active aerodynamics, to propel the vehicle. This in turn developed a line of HSS among which and low rolling resistance tires. allows for use of a smaller battery those materials with yield strengths to maintain the same driving range. below 600 MPa are more broadly The cost savings from shrinking the 2 Introduction commercialized than those above. battery at least partially compensate Meanwhile, there is increased use of Among various technologies, light- for the increased cost of light-weight press hardening steel (PHS) on recent weighting has been considered critical materials. models in China. For example: for improving vehicle energy efficiency. Vehicle weight reduction decreases Active aerodynamics and low roll- • The application of HSS on the the load on the vehicle, thus lowering ing resistance tires also reduce fuel Chery Tiggo 7 is 60% of the the amount of fuel necessary to move consumption. Similar to lightweight- BIW, including 8% AHSS. PHS is it. Reducing weight directly lowers ing, these technologies are important applied on six key parts of the the power needed to accelerate the for both conventional and electric vehicle body, including the A and vehicle, decreases energy dissipated vehicles. B pillars, and delivers a bending by the brakes, and lowers tire rolling rigidity of as much as 21,000 Nm/ resistance. It also has a secondary Deg (Chery International, 2018a). effect on fuel consumption by 3 Current status • The 2015 BAIC Senova X55 allowing engine downsizing and brake applies 68% HSS in BIW, including and suspension lightweighting while 3.1 LIGHTWEIGHTING 8% AHSS. PHS is applied on 11 maintaining constant performance. In general, China’s lightweighting parts, with a tensile strength For every 1 kg of primary mass reduc- technology development is shift- of more than 1,500 MPa (China tion, the estimated secondary mass ing from focusing only on materials Daily, 2015). reduction ranges from 0.5 kg to 1.25 to also considering integrated mass- kg (Isenstadt et al., 2016). optimization design. • The average yield strength of HSS applied in Great Wall vehicles is Studies have indicated that a 10% Lightweighting materials include high more than 300 MPa. The Great weight reduction can decrease fuel strength steel (HSS), advanced high Wall H2 and H8 models feature consumption by 5% without downsiz- strength steel (AHSS), aluminum HSS on more than 60% of BIW. ing the engine and by 6% –8% if the alloy, magnesium alloy, and plas- The A pillar of the H2 adopts PHS engine is downsized to maintain con- tic and polymer composites. Differ- of 1,500 MPa. The H7 applies HSS stant performance. ent lightweighting materials are at to 68% of BIW, 12% of which is different stages of development. PHS. The rear bumper uses alu- Light-weighting technologies minum alloy to further reduce include component substitution with weight (Havel, 2017). advanced materials and material pro- HSS/AHSS cessing, which could improve fuel Steel is still the main material in • The 2016 FAW Magotan applies efficiency 1% –5%. Integrated vehicle Chinese cars. In 2009, average HSS more than 81% of HSS to BIW. The 2 INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON CLEAN TRANSPORTATION WORKING PAPER 2018-16 FUEL-EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGY TREND ASSESSMENT FOR LDVS IN CHINA: VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY use of PHS accounts for 27% of Table 1 definition comparison of several categories of steel between China and the BIW, 11 percentage points than the Unites States. previous model (Autohome, 2016). Yield strength range (megapascals, MPa) China United States Aluminum Iron and mild steel 150-210 Less than 480 The development of aluminum began High-strength steel (HSS) 210-550 480 and above to accelerate with the ninth five-year- Advanced high-strength 550 and above 780 and above plan beginning in 1996, when China steel (AHSS) encouraged and financed research Press hardened steel (PHS) 1,100-1,300 on aluminum materials and casting technology. By now, the production of • The Fengshen E30L, a battery- magnesium aluminum alloy for as casting aluminum should satisfy the electric vehicle introduced by much as 93% of its body (Chery needs of the car industry. Plenty of Dongfeng in 2014, applied an International, 2018b). The Chery domestic manufacturers have applied all-aluminum BIW. The weight of eQ1 is 24% lighter than its prede- aluminum alloy in components such BIW was 145 kg, 75 kg less than cessor, the Chery eQ. As a result, as wheels and cylinder head covers the estimated weight if the BIW the battery capacity of the Chery on models since the 1990s, when were made of conventional steel eQ1 is 4 kWh smaller than that the average aluminum used per car (DFMC, 2015). of the Chery eQ while maintain- ranged from 40 kg to 80 kg. In 2015, ing a similar driving range (Chery the average usage of aluminum was • In 2016, the Chery Jaguar Land EV, 2018). Compared with a steel 105 kg per vehicle. As shown in Figure Rover Changshu Plant launched a structure, the aluminum BIW 2, die casting is the major manufac- purpose-built aluminum body shop increases cost by 50%, or 2,500 turing process for aluminum parts on with Novelis, a U.S.-based global –3,000 RMB. But the cost saving vehicles, followed by casting and flat- company, as its local supplier. With from reduced battery capacity rolled (Du, 2016). the new plant, Chery Jaguar Land could be as high as 2,000 –3,000 Rover Automotive adopted an all- RMB per kWh (Fu, 2017). aluminum body for the domestically VEHICLE ALUMINUM PRODUCT IN 2015 manufactured Jaguar XFL, the first • NIO, a Chinese electric vehicle Forging 2% Jaguar model customized to the startup, launched an SUV model China market.