IAA Transportation 2022 showcases China's prowess in new energy commercial vehicals

Dongfeng Automobile Co Ltd, another major car manufacturer in China, displayed their four latest models of light commercial vehicles, including three battery-electric EV30, EV35 and EV45 models.Two of these have won European Union certification and the other is expected to be certified next year, according to company's New Energy Resources Business Division chief Alex Ma.

Xingyun, a new generation high-performance light truck with fuel combustion, will also have a battery-electric model in about two years, he said.

Ma said that Dongfeng has not started to make electric vehicles in Europe partly because China has a relatively complete supply chains, citing the example of its batteries from the Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL).

CATL, headquartered in Ningde, Fujian province, exhibited its latest battery innovation for commercial vehicles.

Company official Tong Huaqiao said that the exhibits include both the current products, the next-generation development and competitive technology for the future, such as its sodium-ion batteries.

He said CATL's products and technologies have been applied not only in China, but in Europe and other parts of the world.

"I won't say we are the most advanced, but we are definitely among the global leaders," Tong said.

CATL made headlines last month by announcing a 7.34-billion-euro ($7.34 billion) investment to build a battery factory in Debrecen in eastern Hungary. It will be the company's second battery factory outside China. The first one built in Thuringia, Germany, is expected to start production by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Guangdong-based Sinosynergy debuted its hydrogen fuel cell products and solutions it jointly developed with international partners.

Ikarus, a Hungarian bus manufacturer first established in 1895, presented its electric buses jointly developed with China's CRRC Co Ltd. The Ikarus 120e electric bus has a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack from CATL with a capacity of 314 kWh.

"Our electric buses have been put into use in Hungary and Germany," Bence Szabo, an engineer with Ikarus, told China Daily at the company's booth.