The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") has recently issued the Development Plan for the New Energy Vehicle Industry (2021-2035) (Draft for Comment) (the "Draft for Comment") for public comments by December 9, 2019.
The Draft for Comment envisions that China will endeavor in the next 15 years to have its core
technology on new energy vehicles (NEVs) advance and lead at the forefront of the world, and rank as one of world top auto powerhouses, adding that blade electric vehicles (BEVs) will go mainstream, and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will be commercialized, and vehicles used for public purposes will be all electricity-powered. To this end, the Draft for Comment rolls out relevant measures for the purposes of improving the technological innovation capacity, creating new industrial forms, etc. Among such measures are deepening the research and development (R&D) layout for "three vertical fields and three horizontal fields" (Note: three vertical fields refer to FCVs, BEVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) while three horizontal fields refer to the hybrid control unit (HCU), the motor drive system and its control unit, and the battery and battery pack management system), and supporting the development of key enterprises in the industry chain. Among others, the Draft for Comment inspires enterprises in such sectors as NEV, energy, transportation and information and communication to realize synergy with each other, adding that with the focus on various production and application demands, they may seek open and cooperative approaches to build ecology-oriented enterprises specialized in key links of the industry chain, such as solutions, R&D and production, and operational services, and thus share the benefits.