The "Science and Technology Achievements of the 10th Five-Year
Plan (2001-05)" exhibition opened yesterday at the Haidian
Exhibition Center in Beijing, showcasing the progress that China
has made in the two fields.
One of the exhibitors was the Wuhan-based
Dongfeng Electric Vehicle Co Ltd, which showed off two HEV (Hybrid
Electric Vehicle) prototypes.
Dongfeng 6110, an HEV bus, can reach a top speed of more than 80
kilometers per hour, and consumes 30 percent less petrol than a
regular bus of the same size.
With a combustion engine, an electric motor and a storage
battery, the HEV is more energy-efficient and emits less fumes than
conventional vehicles.
"We are now waiting for a license from the National Development and Reform
Commission, and plan to put it into small-scale production by
the end of this year," Fu Jun, deputy general manager of Dongfeng,
said.
Fu said the company's other prototype, the EQ7200 HEV sedan,
will go into production next year.
"Our first batch of clients will be city bus companies and
government departments," Fu said.
The company won a bid from the 863 Program, the nation's
high-tech research and development program, to develop China's
hybrid vehicles in 2001.
"We have full IPR (intellectual property rights) for the two
HEVs," Fu said.
Also announced at the exhibition was China's plans for a new
type of "feederliner," or regional jet, a small aircraft which
allows for efficient domestic air transportation.
The ARJ21-700, a fanjet-powered plane designed by China
Aviation Industry Corporation I, can accommodate 70 to 90
passengers. Production will begin in 2007, with first sales to
clients slated for 2009.
State councilor Chen Zhili visited the exhibition.
Guided by "innovation" and "industrialization," the Chinese
science and technology circle has contributed a lot to the
country's sustainable development program, Chen said.
The 10-day exhibition is sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Science and
Technology and Ministry of
Finance.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency September 19,
2005)