The biggest production base of electric vehiclesin the world was established in the westernpart of the TEDA and put into productionin July, 2008. The first batch of 456 electricvehicles was exported to the USA, used in theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), California Institute of Technologyand elsewhere.

Covering an area of 60,000 square meters, andconstructed by Tianjin Qingyuan Electric VehicleCo., Ltd, this base is fully capable of developingand manufacturing electric vehicles,hybrid electric vehicles and fuel-cell hybridvehicles, among which the production capacityof electric vehicles has amounted to 20,000 annuallyand engine sets 30,000 per year. Citroenin France used to own the biggest productionline of electric vehicles, with an annual capacityof 3,000.Another 252 electric vehicles have been deliveredto American car dealers in early August.It is estimated that over 2,000 electric vehiclesproduced in Tianjin will be exported to the USand Europe before the end of 2008.

Tianjin has grown into the most importantR&D center of electric vehicles in China aftereight years’ hard efforts in this regard. It hasindependently developed a series of electricvehicles, such as electric sedans, high-speedelectric vehicles, electric buses, electric touristcars, as well as sedans, buses and coacheswith hybrid powers.

Modeling “Hafei Saibao” and powered bylithium battery, the high-speed electric car candrive as fast as 125 kilometers per hour andas far as 250 kilometers continuously, almostmatching the quality of a petrol-powered vehicle.Besides, it consumes 15 kilowatts/hour(kWh) of electricity per 100 kilometers, costingas low as one sixth of petrol-powered vehiclesof the same type.

According to Tianjin Municipal Science &Technology Commission, Tianjin has created acomplete industrial chain, developing electricvehicles, including whole-vehicle production,key spare parts manufacturing and standardssetting. The industry draws solid support fromTianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co., Ltd., TianjinQingyuan Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd., TianjinLishen Co., Ltd., Tianjin University, China AutomotiveTechnology and Research Center, theNo. 18 Research Institute of China ElectronicsCorporation and many other R&D institutes forelectric vehicles.

As of 2001, Tianjin has successfully invited theChina Automotive Technology and ResearchCenter and Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint StockCo., Ltd. to jointly establish Tianjin QingyuanElectric Vehicles Co., Ltd. and Tianjin ElectricVehicles Research Center, promoting the developmentof electric vehicles and power batteryused on vehicles and other key technologiesand products. Upon to now, the center has appliedfor 36 patents, of which 9 are patents forinvention.

Apart from this, the No 18 Research Institute ofChina Electronics Corporation has establishedone of the two testing bases of power batteryused on electric vehicles in China, which enjoyfull technology support from the Ministry ofScience and Technology. Besides, a whole-cartesting base of electric vehicles, the only one inChina, is established by the China AutomotiveTechnology and Research Center. Moreover, 20state standards for electric vehicles, 6 for hybridelectric vehicles and another 2 for testingmethods of hybrid electric vehicles and experimentprocedures are formulated and issued.

Since Tianjin was authorized in August, 2002as one of pilot cities in China for the use ofelectric vehicles, the city has successfully putelectric vehicles into use as taxi, police carsand cars for official business, with the totaldriving distance exceeding 100,000 kilometers.Three routes with electric vehicles in operationexclusively have been launched before the2008 Beijing Olympics.