Electric vehicles (EVs) and traditional fuel vehicles (FVs) are two major focal points in today’s automotive market. However, there is a vast difference in manufacturing complexity between the two. Today, let’s delve into why EVs can seemingly be manufactured by anyone, whereas FVs cannot.
Lower Technical Barriers for EVs
Firstly, EVs, particularly battery-powered ones, rely on electric motors as their core component. These motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy through simple magnetic field conversions. This technology is relatively mature, highly modular, and less challenging to manufacture.
In contrast, FV engines are far more intricate. They must efficiently convert the chemical energy of fuel into mechanical energy while maintaining stable performance under various operating conditions. Therefore, the design and manufacturing of fuel engines demand extremely high technical expertise and extensive experience.
Technical Reserve Required for FVs
Unlike simple electric motors, FV engines rely on internal combustion engine technology, a field that requires long-term technical accumulation and refinement. Take gasoline and diesel engines as examples; both follow the four-stroke cycle—intake, compression, power, and exhaust—but each stage necessitates precise control and design.
Moreover, FV production necessitates a large number of technicians for debugging and optimization to ensure engine efficiency and durability. These are aspects that are difficult to accumulate in a short period.
Indispensable Experience
FV manufacturers often boast decades of historical accumulation, a testament to continuous research and development, and practical experience. This experience spans multiple complex disciplines, including materials science, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics.
For new entrants in the automotive industry, relying solely on short-term technology imports or imitation is insufficient to reach the manufacturing standards of traditional FVs.
Easier Market Entry for EVs
For EVs, the simplicity of their core components and the widespread use of modular designs allow many emerging companies to complete product development and rapidly bring them to market within a short timeframe. Coupled with policy support, the market entry barriers for EVs have been significantly lowered.
This explains why we witness an increasing number of technology companies and even internet firms venturing into the EV sector, whereas such phenomena are rare in the FV sector.
In summary, the relatively straightforward technical path of EVs, coupled with policy support, has made them an attractive blue ocean for numerous enterprises. In contrast, FVs, due to their complex technical requirements and extensive experience accumulation, are only manageable by traditional automakers with profound backgrounds.