Technical Bottlenecks Constraining Technical Standards Do Not Consolidate and Stir the Heavy Truck Market
The third phase limit of the National Vehicle Pollutant Emission Standard (hereinafter referred to as State III) was formally implemented. The rapid development of China's heavy-duty truck industry in recent years has finally ushered in the biggest challenge. Many domestic experts have pointed out with concern that the implementation of the National III Standard will accelerate the reshuffling of China's heavy-duty truck industry. Due to the inconsistency of technical standards, market confusion has been caused to a certain extent, and many companies and users are at a loss to wait and see.
The State Environmental Protection Administration stipulates that starting from July 1, 2008, sales and registration of China II heavy-duty vehicles will be suspended nationwide, and State III standards will be implemented. The so-called State III, that is, the national phase III emission standard for motor vehicles is also the Euro III emission standard. Specifically, the concentration of harmful gases such as CO (carbon monoxide), HC+NOx (hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides), PM (particles, soot), etc. in vehicle exhaust that meet the National III emission standards is higher than that of the national II emission standard. Vehicles are 30%-50% lower. This new environmental protection policy will undoubtedly make many heavy truck manufacturers and sales companies face a "test of life and death."
Many domestic experts pointed out that as the country gradually strengthens environmental protection, the requirements for motor vehicle emission standards have become more and more stringent, and the emission standards have been continuously upgraded. The implementation of the National III standard is a major upgrade of the engine and heavy truck industry, which will promote China's heavy truck technology is moving to a higher level.
According to reports, as far as engine technology is concerned, the implementation of State III means to change from a mechanical engine to an electronic engine. The key is the upgrading of the engine's fuel injection system.
At present, there are four technologies used by heavy truck companies at home and abroad:
The first is electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology. In the popular sense, the current engine is equipped with a computer, so that the computer can direct the engine to work scientifically to ensure the best combustion ratio, atomization and the best ignition time of the diesel engine, as well as good fuel economy and minimum emission of pollutants. . VOLVO, Mercedes-Benz, IVECO, MAN, Shaanxi Auto, Liberation, Auman, Hongyan and other companies all adopt electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology, which has become the most widely used and can achieve the national III emission standards. technology.
The second is the electronically controlled pump nozzle technology, which is adopted by VOLVO (Volvo), Dongfeng, Shaanxi Auto and other enterprises. In addition, the professional engine manufacturer Cummins's all-electrically controlled engine application is also an electronically controlled pump nozzle technology. Currently, the technology The engine has more than 400,000 global reserves and a mileage of 300 billion kilometers. It is a proven and mature product.
The third is the electronically controlled monomer pump technology, which is adopted by Mercedes-Benz and IVECO (Iveco) and has few domestic applications.
There is also a H pump (mechanical pump or in-line pump) + EGR technology. It is based on the State II mechanical pump, the use of electromagnets to control the mechanical pump rack, the oil valve, made simple electronic control mechanical pump plus EGR exhaust gas reprocessing system to reduce emissions. At present, China National Heavy Duty Truck is using this technology.
For users, the way to achieve national III emission standards is different, and the income generated after use is very different, which is mainly reflected in technology and fuel consumption. Many domestic engine experts believe that “electronic control†is a sign of the State III heavy truck and is the mainstream of more advanced emission technologies such as State III and State IV in the future. This technology effectively reduces fuel consumption and reduces user costs.
Although the electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology is the most widely used national III emission technology at home and abroad, the other three technologies have applications in domestic enterprises. Whether the heavy truck industry should be unified standards, the domestic is still not conclusive. Before this, due to insufficient propaganda, many heavy truck users did not understand the significance and impact of implementing the country III standard.
Therefore, in the context of the full implementation of the National III emission standards, users have to face problems such as the decline in revenue due to increased costs such as car purchase, use, and maintenance. For these problems, the majority of users did not get an accurate information from the market, which led to a large number of users facing the country III heavy truck, I do not know how to choose.
Standard dispute brings market confusion
On the occasion of the implementation of the National III Standard on July 1, domestic heavy truck companies and industry experts have begun extensive debate on what technologies to implement.
It is understood that most heavy truck companies currently use electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology or electronically controlled pump nozzle technology, in which the electronically controlled high pressure common rail is the most widely used technology.
However, domestic experts still have different opinions about the mechanical pump and EGR technology. Many companies have questioned this technology.
Some experts believe that the so-called mechanical pump + EGR technology is the "mechanical external exhaust gas recirculation technology." Even if this technology can achieve the national III emission standards, the fuel consumption will continue to increase during use, and the recirculated exhaust gas and particles will have a significant impact. Engine performance, especially when the engine is idle, low speed, low load, and cold, can easily cause cylinder volume carbon, excessive fuel consumption, and the chance of engine damage increasing by 15%-30%. Mechanical pump + EGR technology is a technology created by MAN in the 1980s. Its working principle is that only one exhaust gas cooler and electronically controlled EGR valve are added. Because of its high fuel consumption and poor consistency, this technology cannot adapt to higher emission requirements. Its biggest drawback is that it cannot take into account fuel economy and emission targets. It means that the fuel consumption is 15% higher when it meets emission requirements, and it is quickly abandoned by foreign companies. .
The electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology was invented in Switzerland in 1960. It was subsequently further developed by Bosch in Germany, Cummiese in the United States, Volvo in Sweden, and Fiat in Italy. It is currently the most widely used diesel electronic control system and is known as the real diesel engine fuel system. A revolution, its appearance is equivalent to the gasoline engine from the "carburetor" era into the "EFI" era.
Some industry technicians have conducted experiments on electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology and mechanical pump + EGR technology and concluded that under the premise of meeting emission standards, the fuel consumption of electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology is 10% lower than that of mechanical pump + EGR technology. It is expected that the initial cost difference between the above two technical routes will be between 1.5-2.5 million yuan, but this difference will be offset by 100,000 kilometers because of fuel economy problems. Calculated according to the fuel economy of 10% of the gap, when the vehicle is driven to 1 million kilometers, the heavy truck users who use the mechanical pump + EGR technology should pay an additional 240,000 yuan in fuel costs.
In view of the above situation, some people in the industry pointed out that in Europe and the United States, there are three technical routes for the EFI system: single pump, high pressure common rail and pump nozzle. However, some companies have disrupted the market with other technologies derived from the name of the new technology route. Instead of the State III EFI system, the State II fuel injection system should be cleared in time. The person said: "We should strengthen the implementation of the National III standard and regulate the market."
On July 5th, the National Development and Reform Commission’s Industry Department organized FAW and other 16 large-scale commercial vehicles and engine companies to hold a Seminar on Inspection Methods for Heavy-duty Vehicle Diesel Engine III Emissions. The "Electronically controlled inline (mechanical) pump + EGR" technology was discussed in addition to the mainstream technology route (electronically controlled high pressure common rail, single pump, pump nozzle), and the "unconventional" proposed by the Secretary of Industry The verification plan for the Emissions Technology Route III model was discussed. Finally reached an agreement: According to the country's energy-saving emission reduction requirements, the company's products must pass national verification. During the inspection, the engine samples shall be randomly selected and subjected to a 500-hour durability test according to the GB20890-2007 standard, including ELR, ESC, and ETC standard tests. In addition, for the user to self-adjust the product, resulting in the exhaust function after the failure of the whole machine to return to the country II or lower level of technical routes or products, implementation of a one-vote veto system.
Technical bottlenecks restrict heavy truck companies
In fact, for China's heavy-duty truck companies, no matter what kind of technology is used, whether it can be accepted by users is the most important. Whether or not it has high-performance engines and service guarantees will determine whether heavy-duty truck companies can gain a foothold in the market.
According to current international prevailing practice, electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology is used. According to the accepted practice in the industry, a complete vehicle must be completed in high-heat areas, high altitude and cold regions to complete vehicle environmental testing, the performance must meet or exceed national standards, must have mature technology and reliable, strong power, green, low fuel consumption , Low maintenance costs, etc., in order to shape and form a mass production. It is understood that at present, VOLVO (Volvo), Mercedes-Benz, Shaanxi Auto, Liberation and other heavy truck companies have passed the above tests and stereotyped production put on the market.
Industry experts told reporters that as the State III vehicles use electronic engines, once they encounter complicated faults or internal failures of the engine's electronic control system, they must be tested and repaired by the service station using professional fault diagnostic equipment. They must not be dismantled. As the key technology of the State III engine comes from abroad, it must go through a learning process after introduction, which will also bring difficulties to the popularization of service technology. It is understood that at present, some heavy truck companies are still unable to meet the needs of users in terms of service guarantees, including the lack of timely maintenance service stations, inadequate training of maintenance personnel, and inability of parts and components to meet market demands, all of which restrict the further development of China's heavy truck companies.
In the past two years, all manufacturers' III heavy trucks have been sold to varying degrees. As of today's data, 6,979 vehicles have been liberated, 4,660 are Dongfeng, and 5,130 units of Shaanxi Auto. From the perspective of market reaction, electronically controlled common rail technology is more mechanical than mechanical ones. Mature, more reliable and durable. At the same time, in response to the possibility of a change in the peak of passengers arriving after July, all heavy truck companies have started the construction of an after-sales service network.
Heavy truck industry is facing the pattern of shuffling
Since this year, all heavy truck companies have been studying new industrial policies. However, due to the lack of preparedness of some enterprises for this new environmental protection policy, some companies have even had a wait-and-see attitude.
The implementation of State III puts a test on the technical strength of heavy truck companies. According to industry experts, according to the current international practice, the use of electronically controlled high pressure common rail technology will directly lead to an increase in the cost of the engine and further increase the price of the entire vehicle.
The sales department of Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company stated that with the full implementation of the heavy-duty motor vehicle III standard, if it is replaced with a national III engine, the price of each vehicle will increase, which is about 2.5 times higher than the price of the national standard II product of the same type. About 10,000 yuan. After the national III standard is implemented nationwide, the heavy truck product price must rise nationwide.
Industry experts believe that for vehicle manufacturers, due to supporting issues, after the implementation of the National III standard, the market concentration will be further promoted, and the entire industry will be reshuffled.
From State II to Country III, the heavy trucks must be upgraded from the original mechanical control system to the computer control system. The high quality engines and pumps required for this system are not yet produced by most of the domestic plants. They rely mainly on Bosch, Weichai, and Cummins and other large supporting manufacturers supply. Judging from the current situation, the combined production capacity of these engine manufacturers cannot meet the market demand after implementing the National III standard across the country.
Experts believe that companies with strong strengths and relying on mature technologies will continue to “smile the lofty rivers and lakesâ€, while other manufacturers may fall into the embarrassing situation of “no rice potsâ€.
More industry experts predict that because some low-end products whose emission performance can obviously not reach the standard will exit the market, the Chinese heavy truck industry will soon enter the era of oligopoly competition.
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