Photo: Mazda
China is a land of many things. It’s the most crowded country in the world, it’s been a cradle of civilization since ancient times, it is the place where Apple makes the iPhone, and so forth. As any car nut knows, China is also home to a burgeoning auto industry. But car-making ambitions can go beyond the automotive industry.
A company called Gree Electric Appliances Inc. is a case in point. Now the world’s largest air conditioner manufacturer, Gree started business in 1991 as a state-owned enterprise specialized in household appliances. From water kettles to rice cookers, Gree does it all. But Gree wasn’t happy with its achievements. It wanted to take on a new challenge, so it bought an electric car company.
Cue Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Co., an outfit established in 2004 that started making batteries for electric vehicles in 2009. In 2012, Yinlong bought Zhuhai Guangtong Auto Co. and began making its own EVs. The model lineup consists of seven passenger cars and eighteen buses, all electrified. These said, what does state-owned Gree hope to achieve after taking control of Yinlong?
Consider two things. One - 75,000 electric vehicles were registered in China in 2013, a figure surpassed in 2015. Two - the peeps from Gree sell two out of every five air conditioners in the Middle Kingdom. Put plainly, Gree wants to dominate the electric vehicle market in China, and boy does it have a long way ahead.
Compared to 2014, battery electric vehicle sales in China in 2015 increased to a mind-boggling 247,482 units. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, 146,719 of those come in the form of passenger cars.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, China is the melting pot of the EV industry and Gree wants a piece of that action. As long as there’s a limit to registrations of ICE cars and incentives will be offered to those who go green, the future of China is all electric. Elon Musk should get a crash course in Mandarin if he wants to sell more Teslas in the People's Republic of China.
Cue Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Co., an outfit established in 2004 that started making batteries for electric vehicles in 2009. In 2012, Yinlong bought Zhuhai Guangtong Auto Co. and began making its own EVs. The model lineup consists of seven passenger cars and eighteen buses, all electrified. These said, what does state-owned Gree hope to achieve after taking control of Yinlong?
Consider two things. One - 75,000 electric vehicles were registered in China in 2013, a figure surpassed in 2015. Two - the peeps from Gree sell two out of every five air conditioners in the Middle Kingdom. Put plainly, Gree wants to dominate the electric vehicle market in China, and boy does it have a long way ahead.
Compared to 2014, battery electric vehicle sales in China in 2015 increased to a mind-boggling 247,482 units. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, 146,719 of those come in the form of passenger cars.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, China is the melting pot of the EV industry and Gree wants a piece of that action. As long as there’s a limit to registrations of ICE cars and incentives will be offered to those who go green, the future of China is all electric. Elon Musk should get a crash course in Mandarin if he wants to sell more Teslas in the People's Republic of China.
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