The car of the future
Drive to the green and smart fast lane (open the book to learn the new)
Automobiles have greatly expanded the radius of people's activities, and they have also continuously changed people's production and lifestyles.
With the development of technologies such as mobile internet, big data, and artificial intelligence, and the rise of emerging operating modes such as the sharing economy and e-commerce, the application scenarios and forms of automobiles have undergone significant changes.
What will the car of the future look like?
How will it better serve human production and life?
"New energy" promotes low-carbon travel
For a long time, automobiles have mainly relied on burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel and driven by internal combustion engines.
With people's increasing emphasis on environmental protection and low carbon, the pace of development of new energy vehicles has also accelerated significantly.
First of all, energy storage electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular, including pure electric, hybrid and extended-range electric vehicles.
At the same time, fuel cell vehicles have entered a new round of development, and their drive systems are actually electric drives.
Compared with internal combustion engine drive, the electric drive system can realize the efficient conversion between electrical energy and mechanical energy. It has the advantages of relatively simple structure, high power density, fast dynamic response, and low noise and vibration. At the same time, it can carry out two-way energy conversion and has the ability to recover mechanical energy. It can effectively reduce the waste of energy when the vehicle is braking.
The electric drive system is mainly composed of three parts: a motor, an electric control unit, and an energy supply system (such as a power battery), which is the so-called "three electrics".
The electric motor is responsible for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the vehicle, and the technology is the most mature among the "three electrics".
In addition to driving the motor to work according to the driver's operating instructions, the electronic control unit is also responsible for battery charging and discharging management, power distribution, braking energy recovery, thermal management and other tasks.
The normal operation of the electric drive system is inseparable from the continuous, stable and efficient supply of electric energy by the energy supply system.
Due to the energy supply mechanism, safety restrictions and other reasons, the energy supply system has become the weakest link in the "three powers" and is also the most concerned by consumers.
Taking the vehicle power battery as an example, due to its complicated electrochemical reaction in the working process, there are bottlenecks in performance indicators such as storage capacity, charging time, working temperature, and service life of the power battery, and various indicators are mutually restricted.
Therefore, the overall performance improvement of power batteries has always been the focus of new energy vehicle technology.
In order to solve problems such as the "mileage anxiety" of electric vehicles, the manufacturing process of lithium batteries is gradually improved. New types of batteries such as graphene batteries and sodium-ion batteries are constantly appearing, aiming to improve the energy density and charge and discharge performance of the battery; lightweight and structural optimization are continuing Reduce power consumption; continuous breakthroughs in battery thermal management technology have improved the low-temperature performance of the battery; continuous development of charging technology has significantly improved the charging speed of the battery.
The development of science and technology has gradually made up for the shortcomings of new energy vehicles.
According to the current technological development speed, it is believed that in the near future, the driving range, charging time, service life, and low-temperature performance of electric vehicles will be significantly improved to better meet people's travel needs.
In addition, the on-board energy supply system will develop towards diversification.
With the development of hydrogen production and storage technologies, hydrogen fuel cell systems are expected to be widely used in the automotive field.
Hydrogen fuel cells provide electricity through the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. They have outstanding features such as high energy density, rapid refilling, and zero carbon emissions. They are not only suitable for urban commuting, but also for heavy-duty long-distance transportation.
Of course, under current conditions, hydrogen fuel cell systems still need to significantly improve the cost performance and establish sufficient infrastructure and legal and regulatory systems to be promoted and applied on a larger scale.
However, whether it is an energy storage electric vehicle or a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, to achieve true low-carbon, it is necessary to ensure that the source of electricity and hydrogen is clean and green, such as generating and producing hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as wind, light, and water.
"Smart cars" run "wisdom roads"
As a means of transportation, automobiles need the support of users and highways to complete the setting function of road traffic.
"People, vehicles, and roads" constitute the three basic elements of highway traffic.
Among them, "person" includes not only drivers and passengers, but also pedestrians and traffic managers. In addition to various types of transportation vehicles, "cars" also include various functions such as safety protection, assisted driving, information communication and even entertainment. System: In addition to the traditional highways we know, "roads" also include related facilities such as traffic signals, detection and perception, safety protection, and intelligent operation and maintenance.
In the history of the development of traditional highway transportation, the functions and forms of "people" and "roads" changed very slowly, while "cars" changed rapidly and attracted more attention.
As people’s expectations for automobile transportation continue to increase, traditional road transportation development concepts and models have been unable to meet demand. The coordinated development of the three elements of "people, vehicles, and roads" and intelligent interaction of modern transportation have become a development trend. For example, in order to better improve the traffic efficiency of road intersections, the road traffic signal control strategy can be matched with the vehicle flow in real time. Another example is to reduce the waiting time for vehicles, "people" and "cars" can communicate instantly. Furthermore, if "people" can accurately and timely know the road conditions, such as stagnant water, icing, fog, and even obstacles, they can avoid danger earlier and better, and ensure safe and comfortable travel.
Intelligent cars can simulate the functions of human eyes, brain, hands and feet, and better interact with "people" and "roads", thereby reducing the labor intensity of driving and possibly achieving safer and more efficient driving.
Specifically, through vision sensors, lidar and other sensors and satellite positioning technologies, it is possible to realize the "road" function similar to the driver's eyes.
The intelligent driving decision-making and planning system is similar to the driver's brain. It can plan an optimized driving "road" according to the destination of the vehicle, and adjust it in real time based on the perception information to make plans for changing lanes and overtaking, avoiding pedestrians, etc.; control system It is equivalent to the hands and feet of the driver, and controls the vehicle according to the "brain" instructions, such as acceleration, deceleration, and steering.
To achieve safer and more reliable intelligent driving, the roadside intelligent sensor system and its interconnection with "people" and "vehicles" are equally important.
The fast-developing smart transportation system is to connect various elements intelligently through electronic information, communication, sensing, positioning, control and other scientific and technological means, so as to realize the "smart car" running the "smart road" and satisfying the "people". Safe and convenient travel needs.
In such a smart transportation system, traffic participants can grasp road status information and the location, speed, and direction of other road users in real time. People, cars, and roads are integrated into an organic whole, and they cooperate closely and act in coordination.
Through the full coordination of “people-vehicle-road”, “drivers” (including intelligent driving systems) can not only truly “see six roads, hear all directions”, but also integrate into the entire transportation system and participate in all traffic Interoperability of information.
"Cars" can use their own intelligent perception, car-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-road communication equipment to improve driving safety and economy, and to improve travel efficiency and ride comfort through more reasonable planning of driving routes and speeds; "roads" are It can effectively increase the traffic efficiency and reduce the traffic accident rate through roadside perception and beyond-the-horizon information.
It should be pointed out that due to the complexity of the actual traffic scene, the current technology and management system are not enough to support the intelligent driving system to completely replace the driver's work on public roads.
However, with the continuous advancement of technology, smart driving cars will become more and more mature in the future, and the application scenarios will become more and more extensive.
Cross-border innovation boosts high-quality development
The development of new energy technology and intelligent technology has created new opportunities for the development of automobile transportation, but also brought new challenges, such as reducing energy consumption, optimizing system functions, and improving cost performance.
Responding to these challenges requires new materials and new structures, new processes, new equipment and new R&D and business models that are compatible with new materials to achieve high-quality development of automotive transportation. More demanding.
High-strength steel, high-performance aluminum alloy and cost-effective composite materials are typical representatives of new automotive materials. They can effectively achieve lightweighting while ensuring important performance such as collision safety.
However, it is difficult to achieve optimal manufacturability and cost performance with any single application of new materials.
Different materials are more practically valuable when used in different parts or systems. For example, high-strength steel is used for automobile chassis parts to ensure necessary strength and rigidity; high-performance aluminum alloy is used for opening and closing parts such as car doors to facilitate forming and connection; Cost-effective composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced composite materials are used in the car body to meet anti-corrosion and safety requirements.
The application of new materials and new functions also requires structural innovation of auto parts and even vehicles to maximize the effectiveness of materials and improve the overall performance of their manufacturing process products.
The new materials and new structures used in the entire vehicle and some parts of the automobile require corresponding new processes and new equipment to realize intelligent and efficient manufacturing.
For example, the processing of some high-strength steel parts requires hot forming or warm forming processes; some aluminum alloy parts require integral die-casting technology to achieve better cost performance and product quality; some carbon fiber reinforced composite materials require automated fiber laying equipment to achieve high tempo Production, and guarantee the consistency of product quality.
These upgrades and even innovations to traditional manufacturing processes and equipment will significantly promote the progress of automotive technology and have a profound impact on the development of the entire industry.
At the same time, the development of these advanced technologies and intelligent equipment will also bring new challenges, requiring in-depth interdisciplinary and in-depth research to achieve technological breakthroughs.
New R&D and business models are catalysts for accelerating the iterative upgrade of the industry.
Through the new R&D organization model, distributed R&D resources can be gathered into high-level development capabilities with important competitiveness.
The exploration of new business models in key links such as manufacturing, market development, sales and application has also brought new opportunities to the automotive industry.
The automobile industry is an important pillar of my country's national economy, with a long industrial chain, a wide range of technologies, and a large degree of cross-field relevance.
Through the "seven new", that is, the joint development of new energy, new functions (intelligence), new materials, new structures, new processes, new equipment and new models, it will better help my country's automotive transportation technology to achieve self-reliance and ensure industrial safety ,sustainable development.
At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are profoundly affecting the automobile industry. Automobile development and energy, transportation, environment, and urban development are fully and deeply integrated.
In the future, automobile transportation will continue to be green and intelligent, providing people with more convenient, efficient, green and safe travel services, and helping people create a better life.
(Author Zhong Zhihua, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering)
Recommended bibliography:
1. "The World of 5G: Smart Transportation": edited by Xu Zhiqiang; published by Guangdong Science and Technology Press.
2. "Autonomous driving changes the future": edited by Chai Zhanxiang, Nie Tianxin, and Yang Baker; published by China Machinery Industry Press.
3. "Redefining Cars: Innovative Technologies to Change Future Cars": edited by Fu Yuwu, Mao Hai, etc.; published by Machinery Industry Press.
4. "China's Science and Technology and Social Vision in 2049: Automobile Technology and Future Travel": edited by China Society of Automotive Engineering; published by China Science and Technology Press.