UC Davis, CATARC, SAE-China, EV100 form a New Carbon Neutral Research Consortium in China

On November 16, the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) joined with three China-based agencies to launch the “Chinese Automotive Sector Roadmap towards Carbon Neutrality by 2060,” a joint research program that will study possible pathways to carbon neutrality in China.

Under the guidance and support of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, CATARC, the China Automotive Engineering Society (SAE-China), and the China EV100, have formed a research consortium with ITS-Davis. This consortium of the three major government think-tanks in the automotive sector, along with ITS-Davis, is the first of its kind to study scenarios to reach carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 (or even earlier) in the sector.

CATARC Vice President Wu Zhixin spoke at the kick-off meeting

The kick-off meeting was presided over by Mr. Huang Yonghe, the Director of CATARC’s China Automotive Strategy and Policy Research Center (CASP). Dr. Wu Zhixin, Vice President of CATARC, delivered a speech. Mr. Wang Binggang, head of the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Expert Group. Mr. Li Wanli, Distinguished Expert in the High-Tech Field of the Expert Academic Committee, China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, Professor Wang Hewu of Tsinghua University and Deputy Secretary-General of EV100, Dr. Gong Huiming, Senior Director of the Transportation Program of the Energy Foundation China, and other industry experts and project team members spoke at the meeting.

In his speech, Vice President Wu said that the declaration of carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 requires a higher level of development in the automotive industry in the new era, and that there are still many important issues that need to be studied in the automotive field. The research consortium will try to address those urgent issues. Dr. Liu Bin, the Deputy Director of CASP introduced the overall research ideas of the project. Yunshi Wang of ITS-Davis participated remotely, and Hou Fushen, Deputy Secretary-general of SAE-China, and others introduced their respective research programs. Finally, the participating experts commented on the research content of the project and put forward many valuable opinions and suggestions.

The consortium will be led by Vice President Wu Zhixin. Yunshi Wang will serve as the international coordinator, in addition to co-leading the ITS-Davis team with Dr. Lew Fulton. The U.S. advisors will be Mary Nichols (invited), Dan Sperling, and Hal Harvey. More will be invited. The consortium is expected to be advised in China by the officials from the MIIT, the MEE, the NDRC, the MoF, and the MoSt. On the U.S. side, the Office of the Governor of California, California Air Resources Board, and California Energy Commission will be invited to provide advice. This program will echo the California Carbon Neutrality Study at ITS-Davis and hopefully will accelerate collaborations among China, the United States, and the EU in reaching coordinated global climate targets.