China's SAIC Using US Parts On Hybrid

上海汽车集团股份有限公司在设计制造一款油电混合动力车时采用美国厂商的技术。这款车最早可能将于明年在中国上市销售。上汽是中国最大的国有汽车生产商之一。据知情人士透露，上汽计划采用马萨诸塞州少数人持股的电池厂商A123 Systems和密歇根州汽车部件生产商德尔福公司(Delphi Corp.)的技术。上汽混合动力车将是一款“弱混合动力车”，很像本田汽车(Honda Motor Co.)的思域(Civic)混合动力车，电动引擎从很大程度上是用来作为辅助动力，而不是单独驱动汽车。这款车代表了中国汽车厂商在涉足可替代燃料驱动技术上的一项重大努力。目前中国汽车市场只有很少几款油电混合动力车，其中包括本田思域和丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Co.)的普锐斯(Prius)。上汽进军混合动力车市场之际正值中国鼓励本土汽车业转向电动汽车和其他新能源汽车。中国政府认为，汽车生产商可以利用电动汽车相对较低的入门门坎（电动汽车的机械结构要比汽油车简单得多），缩小与国外大型竞争对手的差距，确保中国汽车业的长期稳定增长。记者周三晚间无法联系到上汽发表评论。德尔福的发言人没有马上回复记者的置评请求。A123的一位高管拒绝置评。不成熟的电池技术阻碍了混合动力车和其他电动汽车经济性和实用性的增强。传统的钴电池（主要用于手机和笔记本电脑）往往会出现过热的情况，在极少数情况下还出现了起火甚至爆炸的现象。上汽混合动力车将采用先进的磷酸铁锂电池作为驱动，这种电池安全性能很好。磷酸铁电池（比如由A123开发的磷酸铁电池）可能会过热到开始冒烟的程度，不过支持这项技术的人士说，由于其固有的化学稳定性，不会起火或是爆炸。知情人士说，上汽混合动力车还将采用德尔福的弱混合动力车技术，包括一个混合控制系统和一个将高压电池能变成低压来驱动电动引擎的系统。这些知情人士说，上汽负责将德尔福和A123提供的各种混合动力系统整合到一起。上汽与通用汽车(General Motors Corp)和大众汽车(Volkswagen AG)都有汽车组装合资企业。Norihiko Shirouzu相关阅读让通用汽车破产是个好办法 2009-04-01比亚迪就向欧美汽车商提供电池技术进行磋商 2009-03-31比亚迪欲借电动轿车实现突破 2009-01-12 本文涉及股票或公司document.write (truthmeter('2009年04月02日10:38', '600104.SH'));上海汽车集团股份有限公司（简称：上海汽车）英文名称：SAIC Motor Co.总部地点：中国大陆上市地点：上海证交所股票代码：600104document.write (truthmeter('2009年04月02日10:38', 'DPH'));德尔福公司英文名称：Delphi Corp. (delisted 10/12/05)总部地点：美国上市地点：纽约证交所document.write (truthmeter('2009年04月02日10:38', 'DPHIQ'));Delphi Corp.总部地点：美国上市地点：美国场外交易粉单市场(Pink Sheet)股票代码：DPHIQ


SAIC Motor Corp., one of China's biggest state-owned auto makers, is turning to American technology suppliers to engineer a gasoline-electric hybrid car that could go on sale in China as soon as next year.SAIC is planning to use technology from A123 Systems, a closely held battery maker based in Watertown, Mass., and auto-parts maker Delphi Corp., based in Troy, Mich., according to people familiar with the matter.The new SAIC hybrid vehicle is to be a 'mild hybrid' car, much like Honda Motor Co.'s Civic hybrid, with an electric motor to mostly assist the car's gasoline engine rather than propel it.The planned car represents one of the most serious efforts by Chinese auto makers to dabble in alternative-fuel propulsion technology. There are only a few gasoline-electric hybrids presently available in the Chinese auto market, including Honda's Civic and Toyota Motor Co.'s Prius.SAIC's foray into the hybrid market comes as China encourages its auto industry to shift to electric vehicles and other new-energy cars. China's government believes auto makers could take advantage of the relatively low barriers to entry for electric vehicles -- they are much simpler mechanically than gasoline-fueled cars -- to narrow the gap with bigger foreign rivals and guarantee the Chinese industry's steady long-term growth.SAIC couldn't be reached for comment late Wednesday. A Delphi spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to an inquiry. An executive at A123 declined to comment.Immature battery technology has hindered the affordability and practicality of hybrids and other electrified vehicles. Conventional cobalt-based batteries, used primarily in cellphones and laptops, have shown a tendency to overheat, and have caught fire and even exploded in rare cases.The new SAIC hybrid will be powered by advanced iron-phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries, which have a strong safety record. Iron-phosphate batteries such as those developed by A123 might overheat to the point where they might start smoking, but, proponents of the technology say, they wouldn't catch fire or explode because of the technology's inherent chemical stability.The SAIC hybrid will also feature Delphi's mild-hybrid vehicle technology, including a hybrid control unit and a unit that converts high-voltage battery power to lower voltages to power an electric motor, said people familiar with the matter.SAIC, which operates joint car-assembly companies with General Motors Corp. and Volkswagen AG, is responsible for integrating various hybrid systems supplied by Delphi and A123, these individuals said.Norihiko Shirouzu