New Energy Vehicles Embark on a Collaborative Innovation Journey
New energy vehicles are a key focus for the global automotive industry as it undergoes transformation and embraces green development, injecting new momentum into the world economy. With the emergence of new models emphasizing electrification and intelligence, how can we promote collaborative innovation across the automotive industry chain to achieve high-quality development?
At the recent China Electric Vehicle 100 People Forum (2025), Xin Guobin, deputy minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, emphasized that automotive companies need to shift their focus from merely increasing scale to enhancing both scale and efficiency. This involves moving from application technology innovation to foundational technology innovation, transitioning from a single automotive industry to a multi-industry integration, and evolving from solely selling products to enhancing capabilities throughout the entire lifecycle of services.
In Chongqing’s Yubei District, the assembly workshop of Changan Automobile is a prime example of these advancements.
Solidifying the Foundation of Electrification
By 2024, China’s production of new energy vehicles is expected to exceed 10 million units for the first time, accounting for 65% of the global total and maintaining its position as the world leader for ten consecutive years. Key technologies have made significant breakthroughs; the average range of electric vehicles is approaching 500 kilometers, and fast-charging technology that allows for 80% charging in just 15 minutes is now in mass production.
However, despite these achievements, several pressing challenges remain. There is insufficient domestic demand, intense competition characterized by “involution,” and a need to improve the supporting systems for mineral resources, battery recycling, and charging infrastructure.
“We must firmly commit to the development of new energy vehicles and continue to strengthen top-level planning and guidance,” stated Chen Qingtao, chairman of the China Electric Vehicle 100 People Forum. He emphasized the importance of advancing technological innovation, particularly in accelerating the research and industrialization of all-solid-state batteries. Additionally, there is a need to enhance the service systems for charging facilities, financial insurance, maintenance, second-hand vehicle transactions, and battery recycling, while also promoting the integration of new energy vehicles with clean energy.
With advantages in energy density, safety, and cycle life, all-solid-state batteries are leading a new wave of innovation in battery technology. Automakers are rapidly advancing their research and production to enhance their competitiveness in electrification. Cheng Hao, vice president of Changan Automobile and CEO of Deep Blue Auto, announced that a prototype vehicle equipped with an all-solid-state battery will debut this year, with mass production expected to begin in 2027.
To address the common pain points faced by new energy vehicle users, such as slow charging and accessibility, it is crucial to establish a high-quality charging infrastructure. By the end of 2024, the total number of charging facilities in China is projected to reach 12.818 million, marking a 49.1% increase year-on-year. Approximately 38,000 charging piles have been built at highway service areas, covering 98% of these locations nationwide.
Li Bin, founder, chairman, and CEO of NIO, stated that the company will continue to invest in its battery swapping network. Recently, NIO reached a partnership agreement with CATL to collaborate on technical standard formulation and operational network synergies.
Huang Xue Nong, director of the National Energy Administration, noted the need to accelerate technological innovation to create a vibrant industrial structure, facilitating deeper integration between new energy vehicles and the grid, which will promote technological advancements across the entire ecosystem of vehicles, charging stations, and power grids. As the charging market is still in its early stages, there are ongoing issues with homogeneity in competition, and the focus will be on improving service quality to foster a healthy industry ecosystem.
Driving Intelligent Upgrades
“2025 will mark the explosion of intelligent vehicle technology,” said Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice chairman of the China Electric Vehicle 100 People Forum. The rise of models like DeepSeek has sparked interest in large models, and advanced intelligent driving assistance technologies are gaining traction, ushering in an era of intelligent driving. “Universal intelligent driving does not equate to universal autonomous driving,” Ouyang clarified, noting that current trends in intelligent driving predominantly involve L2+ intelligent navigation assistance.
Multiple automotive companies have recently launched intelligent driving systems. Geely has introduced the “Qianli Haohan” intelligent driving system based on AI “world models,” while Changan’s “Beidou Tian Shu 2.0” plan aims to launch 35 new intelligent vehicles over the next three years. “Without intelligent driving capabilities, there is no ticket to participate in future competition,” stated Gao Rui, deputy general manager of GAC Group, highlighting that high-end intelligent driving technologies are increasingly being adopted in mainstream models priced between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan.
The automotive industry is entering a new phase of intelligent development, characterized by a deepening integration of technologies like artificial intelligence and the internet. In the face of advanced high-tech clusters, cross-industry collaboration and cooperative innovation are vital pathways to success.
Computational power supports innovations in scenarios like autonomous driving and intelligent cabins. Li Qiang, vice president of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group and manager for AI in the automotive sector, explained that Alibaba Cloud is providing redundant computational resources to automotive companies to lower innovation costs.
Regarding the construction of intelligent connected vehicles, Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, emphasized the need to develop a cloud computing platform enriched by deep artificial intelligence, enabling seamless collaboration between cloud computing and vehicles, thus achieving embodied intelligence for smart connected cars.
The application of intelligent driving must evolve beyond individual vehicle intelligence to a “vehicle-road-cloud integration,” where “smart cars” and “intelligent roads” empower each other. For example, navigation systems can now inform drivers of the status of upcoming traffic lights and real-time conditions along green wave corridors. By connecting driving trajectories, navigation information, and real-time traffic signals, a more precise big data navigation system can be established. In Beijing’s high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone, measures like optimizing connected traffic control have further improved traffic efficiency.
Wan Gang suggested incorporating the requirements for intelligent connected infrastructure into urban renewal and construction planning, promoting effective collaboration between digital foundations such as 5G communication, roadside sensing, and high-precision mapping, while exploring sustainable operational models for new infrastructure.
Qin Haixiang, deputy minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, stated that the ministry is continually promoting the coordinated development of smart city infrastructure with intelligent connected vehicles, formulating national standards and technical specifications for city road intelligent connected infrastructure, and advancing pilot applications for intelligent connected vehicles and “vehicle-road-cloud integration” to enrich the application scenarios of intelligent connected vehicles in urban environments.
Currently, new passenger cars equipped with L2-level combined assistance driving functions account for 57.3% of the market. Xin Guobin announced that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will expedite the formulation of a development plan for intelligent connected new energy vehicles in this new era, accelerate the industrialization of autonomous driving, and promote pilot projects for the access and road use of intelligent connected vehicles, while enhancing the standard system and conditionally approving the production access for L3-level autonomous driving vehicles to improve road traffic safety and relevant legal regulations.
Enhancing Internationalization
Recently, BMW has partnered with Huawei and Alibaba to integrate the HarmonyOS in-vehicle digital ecosystem and explore the application of large language models in intelligent voice interactions. Gao Xiang, president and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, stated that the company will collaborate with numerous Chinese technology partners to focus on intelligent and electric fields, aiming for mutual benefits.
As more overseas car manufacturers recognize the importance of localized production capabilities in the Chinese market, Chinese auto brands are also vying for a place on the global stage. Recently, 24 Chinese brands were included in the “2024 Global Automotive Brand Value Top 100” list published by a UK assessment agency. In 2024, China is expected to achieve an export of 1.284 million new energy vehicles, making a positive contribution to the electrification transformation of the global automotive industry.
“The paths for Chinese automotive companies to engage in global development are becoming increasingly diverse,” noted Zhang Yongwei, vice chairman and secretary-general of the China Electric Vehicle 100 People Forum. From early export trade to current localized overseas production and joint ventures, as well as empowering international partners and co-building industrial ecosystems, Chinese automotive companies are approaching the global market with more innovative and cooperative strategies.
BYD’s first overseas passenger vehicle base has commenced production, accelerating the creation of products with localized brand attributes. Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Company Limited, stated, “China’s new energy vehicles are leading globally in both technology and industrial chains. We should seize this window of opportunity to accelerate international development with higher levels of green technology and products.”
China’s automotive industry’s shift towards green development is significant for the global economy’s transition to low carbon. Liu Yang, deputy director of the Climate Change Department at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, suggested enhancing international cooperation through open collaboration to promote key technology and model innovation. Additionally, there is a need to accelerate the establishment of carbon footprint accounting standards and foundational data support for key products such as new energy vehicles, power batteries, and electric motors.
Currently, the automotive industry’s globalization faces unprecedented challenges. Zhang Yongwei stressed, “Building a mutually integrated global automotive supply chain is the foundation for global cooperation.” Moving forward, the focus will be on facilitating mutual recognition and connectivity of new energy intelligent vehicle service systems, establishing a secure, controllable, orderly flow, and a mutually trusting governance mechanism for automotive data.
Sheng Qiuping, deputy minister of commerce, stated that efforts will continue to deepen trade and investment cooperation in the automotive industry, supporting automotive and parts manufacturers in enhancing international collaboration, establishing marketing networks, and after-sales service systems overseas to improve their operational capabilities abroad.
