The prerequisite for solving a series of issues and making EVs fully popular is to achieve high-performance batteries that surpass existing lithium-ion batteries. At present, various countries, research institutions and enterprises are promoting related research and development, and practical application is highly anticipated.

　　Vehicle-mounted secondary battery-related technologies have become popular. The background is that countries all over the world are strengthening carbon dioxide emission regulations. For example, the ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) Act in California, the Carbon Dioxide Act in Europe, and China's environmental regulations will all be stricter in the future.

　　As an effective measure to respond to emission regulations, large automakers have high expectations for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and pure electric vehicles (EV), and various companies are desperately advancing their development. Large automakers that have not been active in the past will not be able to avoid this problem in the future. Not only that, if this series of environmental laws are not dealt with in a timely manner, it may even be related to the survival of the company.

　　For example, before the US ZEV Act, the target automakers were General Motors (GM), Ford Motor, and Chrysler (now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) in the US, as well as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan in Japan. But starting in 2018, Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler, Mazda, and Hyundai Group will also become applicable objects. The target companies that will be added later will naturally accelerate the development of electric vehicles in the future.

　　Various electric vehicles

　　Electric vehicles can be divided into several categories according to the technology adopted. Everyone should be familiar with HEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) and EV (pure electric vehicle). More than 15 years have passed since Toyota launched the Prius in 1997, and it has now entered a period of popularization. Toyota is definitely the leader in this field, and Honda is also quite competitive. Among American manufacturers, Ford is vigorously advancing the development of HEV, but it is still far away from Japanese manufacturers. The market penetration rate of HEV is also very high in electric vehicles, and European manufacturers will also actively develop HEV in the future.

　　Let’s review the market trends of EVs. EVs had a low market evaluation before 2012. Nissan’s LEAF (Leaf) and Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV have been struggling to support them. The reason is that it cannot solve the problems of short battery life, long charging time, and high price.

　　After 2013, this situation has gradually changed. Especially in the United States, the economic benefits of Nissan LEAF have been well received, and market awareness has gradually increased. Since the end of 2013, LEAF has been selling 1,000 vehicles per month in the United States. The support provided by power companies such as Georgia Power, headquartered in Atlanta, United States, to improve the charging infrastructure, seems to have played a role.

　　The company with even better performance is Tesla Motors, a venture company in the Silicon Valley of the United States. The company’s official EVModelS has an official endurance distance of more than twice that of the Japanese manufacturer’s 483km. The car uses the body design of a sports car, which can provide consumers with the value of sitting once and wanting to sit again. The car has achieved rapid growth, with current sales of 200 vehicles per week and sales of approximately 120 million yuan.

　　Readers may not be familiar with it. In the United States, the popularization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that can be charged at home is GM's Volt. The cumulative sales of Volt have reached 66,000, and the total driving distance of all car owners has exceeded. 600 million miles (about 960 million kilometers). Approximately 23,000 units of the car were sold in 2013 alone, and further growth is expected in 2014.

　　In addition, Japanese manufacturers plan to launch fuel cell vehicles (FCV) in 2015. Honda has been studying the fuel cell as the core of this technology since 1986, and finally saw the hope of mass production after 29 years.

　　The conditions for EV popularization do not lie in infrastructure construction

　　Electric vehicle technology has advantages and disadvantages. The emergence of electric vehicles is not only an opportunity for related industries, but also a risk. The intentions of the countries that implement relevant laws and regulations and the strategies of enterprises will be paid attention to. Let's analyze the zero-emission vehicles EV and FCV that do not require fossil fuels such as gasoline.

　　EV is one of the candidates for the ultimate eco-car, but its position is not stable. This is because the performance (travel distance and charging time) of EVs is very low compared to gasoline vehicles.

　　The condition for solving a series of issues and making EVs universal is to achieve high-performance batteries that surpass existing lithium-ion batteries. At present, various countries, research institutions and enterprises are promoting related research and development, and practical application is highly anticipated.

　　Among them, there is a new type of lithium-air battery called a post-lithium-ion battery. The lithium-air battery utilizes the chemical reaction between metallic lithium and oxygen in the air, and the theoretical value of energy obtained exceeds that of current lithium-ion batteries.

　　We often see reports about the discovery of technologies that can extend the range of EVs to 500km based on the data of positive and negative materials developed by universities and material manufacturers. This can only be said to be a mystery. Because the electrode alone cannot determine the endurance distance, only a battery system that can be installed and used on an EV has discussion value. On the other hand, exaggeration should be used with caution when reporting.

　　Japanese universities and companies often publish such news. Every time they encounter such news, investment companies and investigative agencies will seek advice from the author. The author's answer is generally to observe it calmly and objectively. There is no rationale and logical support, and there is too little information to make a conclusion.

　　Of course, Japan has an overwhelmingly strong competitiveness in cutting-edge research and technological development in the field of materials. Therefore, new breakthroughs are indeed very likely to appear in Japan.

　　In fact, in the cutting-edge research of secondary batteries, the influence of manufacturers in other countries is not high. For example, the Korean national project WPM (World Premium Materials), where Samsung SDI is in charge of the company, has been promoting the development of related materials in the name of the country since 2008. However, in the field of materials, results can only be achieved by relying on basic research. It seems that South Korea, which is weaker in basic research than Japan, is less likely to develop shocking new materials.