Robots weld bodyshells of cars at a workshop of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

About 30 leading Chinese automakers, parts suppliers and auto material companies have jointly established a new Strategic Materials Innovation and Application Platform in Beijing to address critical "chokepoint" material problems in the automotive industry, China EV100, an initiator of the platform, said in a statement on Monday.

Industry analysts said that the total number of components in a vehicle often exceeds 10,000, making the safety of the domestic industrial supply chain particularly important.

The platform's goal is to build a comprehensive collaborative innovation system, covering vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers, material companies, technology, standards, and supply chains, helping accelerate the application of advanced new materials in the automotive sector.

The initiative also aims to provide strong support for the security and self-reliance of China's strategic new materials, media reported.

Attending companies include BYD, Geely, SAIC, Dongfeng, Li Auto, PPG, Kingfa Science & Technology, KraussMaffei, China Salt Lake Group, Magna, Dow and others, according to the statement by China EV100, a non-profit organization and third-party think tank aimed at boosting the development of electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Among the participating companies, one Chinese tech company has achieved large-scale production of single-wall carbon nanotubes (a rolled structure of single-layer graphene), paving the way for key applications in new-energy vehicles (NEV) and aerospace. Another firm has developed high-tech composite materials that make automotive parts both lower-carbon and significantly lighter, according to CCTV News.

"We can achieve carbon reduction of 30 percent or even over 40 percent," Liu Yanwei, General Manager of Kingfa Science & Technology's Automotive Division, was quoted as saying.

Zhang Yongwei, Vice Chairman of China EV100, said at the launch ceremony of the platform that"the automotive industry has an extremely long industrial chain, and resources and materials are the most critical links.

"The establishment of this platform is mainly to solve the integration problem between the automotive industry and its supply chain. We need to strengthen strategic planning for raw materials, increase strategic reserves, and build early warning capabilities to ensure resource security," said Zhang Yongwei.

China still has relatively high dependence on foreign sources for certain key raw materials - lithium over 60 percent, nickel over 90 percent - posing challenges to supply chain stability. In addition, domestically produced automotive chips currently account for only about 20 percent of application in Chinese brand vehicles, CCTV News reported, citing industry experts.

New materials are listed as one of the eight strategic emerging industries in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

"The new platform will help translate cutting-edge material innovations into real-world applications across industries," Zhang Xiang, a visiting professor in the engineering department of Huanghe Science and Technology University, told the Global Times on Monday.

The launch of the platform was announced during the Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development Forum, hosted by China EV100, having generated representatives from multiple fields including government, automotive, energy, transportation, and technology gathered to discuss the development trends of the automotive industry.

Su Bo, former minister of industry and information technology, said at the forum on Sunday that, by 2030, NEVs will become the dominant force in China's automobile market, with domestic penetration rate likely to exceed 70 percent.

Tsinghua University Professor Ouyang Minggao said at the forum that, by 2030, new-energy passenger vehicles will account for 70 percent of annual new passenger car sales, which is expected to surpass 80 percent by 2035 and reach over 85 percent by 2040.

Global Times