At the invitation of the US "Plastics News" magazine, Cao Du, deputy dean of Chang'an Automotive Engineering Research Institute, delivered a speech at the "China Automotive Plastics Summit" held in Shanghai. He said that the interest in new energy vehicles is driving the growth in demand for new plastic applications in the Chinese automotive market.

Cao Du said: "In China, we have set a very high environmental standard. Everyone is engaged in the trend of hybrid and new energy vehicles, each car manufacturer is engaged in research and development in this area."

He also mentioned that the development of electric vehicles is not only driven by environmental protection, but China also hopes to reduce its dependence on imported oil by reducing fuel consumption. "China has over-reliance on other countries in energy supply, so new energy will become the future trend."

The Chinese government has set a goal and strives to reduce fuel consumption to 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers by 2020. To achieve this goal, automakers must find new sources of energy and reduce vehicle weight as much as possible.

Cao Du said that "weight loss" has become a problem that Chinese automakers most value. Take the hybrid vehicle as an example. To achieve the government's goal, it must be reduced by 30%-40%. At the same time, installing the battery in the car will also increase the weight, which will require further reduction in the weight of other automotive components.

“There are many ways to reduce car weight. We can improve the car structure and sometimes we can use new materials.” With plastic and composite materials, structural materials can be produced from lighter materials. Metal door panels, front-end modules, and fuel tanks are also used. Plastic materials can be used instead.

It is reported that Changan Automobile is striving to integrate the parts that are currently produced separately. This process can save costs and is also accomplished by means of plastics.

With the increasing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles, Cao Du expects that the use of plastics in automobiles will increase further.