At this year's Beijing auto show, a retired Chinese official bent over to put his hand on the hood of a stylish sports car known as the world's fastest battery --
He laughed like a proud father.
That's how he is, to some extent.
Twenty years ago, Wan Gang persuaded China's State Council to invest its enormous power behind the dangerous, unproven technology of electric vehicles.
He advocated the use of government funds, including subsidies, to help build a world champion industry beyond western carmakers.
The coupe he enjoyed at the April auto show?
It was built by a local company called Neo.
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But when the history of electric vehicles is finally written, the Wan may look bigger.
Every two electric vehicles sold by Chinese drivers will buy one, and the global auto industry is turning to adjustment.
This is a revolution initiated by former Minister of Science and Technology Wan, and when you think he has never joined the Communist Party of China, his achievements are even more remarkable.
"He is the father of power in China --
The automotive industry, "said former US president Travis Tilemann. S.
Energy consultant and author of the great competition: the global pursuit of future cars.
"Without Wan Gang, it would be impossible for China to surpass the West.
This is his good idea.
Wan, 66, holds an academic position at a university in Beijing.
His office said it is based in a think tank and has not been interviewed at the moment.
After decades of hype and false start, electric vehicles have become an important part of the automotive industry.
China's new energy vehicle production is expected to reach 1 million vehicles this year, up from last year. The U. K.
France and India have proposed banning cars driven by domestic cars
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, internal combustion engine.
Long before becoming the country's top futurist, Wan experienced the Cultural Revolution of the 1960 century, a huge leap in Chinese science and technology.
At the age of 16, he was sent from Shanghai to a remote village near North Korea to learn values from farmers and he spent a few days fixing the smoke in town
According to the state, burp tractors and build the grid from scratch
People's Daily and Lisa magonelli, a writer who interviewed Wan.
Wan is one of the few lucky members of his generation, and he was admitted to a doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Technology in krakourtal, Germany.
When he graduated in 1991, all the big German automakers offered jobs, but he chose Audi because it was the smallest and offered the best promotion opportunities.
As an executive in the planning department of Audi, Wan played the role of ambassador, showing its statusof-the-
At the Art Factory in inglstad, Chinese delegates are trying to revive their run-down auto industry.
There was a guest at the time.
Zhu Lilan, the science minister who liked the engineer.
A few months after their first meeting, in 2000, Wan returned to his hometown to sell the idea of leapfrog development to Zhu and the rest of the State Council.
In the smog, Chinese carmaker Wan believes that in traditional cars, China will never be able to catch up with automakers in Japan, the United States or Germany.
He believes that betting on new technologies may put China in a more equal position and even lead the country.
It can also help China get rid of its dependence on foreign oil.
Bill Russo said: "Wan Gang said, 'I want to create a system for our energy security and for our company to have a more level playing field. ", Former Chrysler executive, is currently the peak consultant of Beijing Automotive consulting company.
"He knows you can't win the old game.
The same is true for some senior people.
Motivated colleagues
Li Lanqing, former vice premier of the State Council, was established in 1952 in China FAW Group Co. , Ltd.
A plan was developed to create a NEV research project.
While managing the National Development and Reform Commission, Ma Kai took the lead in introducing the NEV stimulus policy, which helped oversee the economy.
By the age of 2007, Wan was the Minister of Science and Technology, responsible for supervising billions of dollars and helping funnel research. and-
Develop funds to favored industries.
In this job, he constantly challenged Chinese engineers to build a team of electric buses for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games;
1,000 battery-
There are electric cars on the streets of every major city.
In the spring of 2010, subsidies for every electric vehicle that automakers can sell amounted to $10,000.
"There will be a strategic window for the development of electric vehicles in the next 10 to 20 years," Wan told the official media.
"We must act now.
China's R & D boom continues.
A few months later, the atmosphere at the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States became tense. S.
Scientists at the Federal Research Center near Chicago where lithium was invented
Ion battery technology used in General Motors plug
In hybrid power, voltage.
Wan is learning the chemical formula of the battery in the lab. U. S. counter-
The Intelligence Department introduced the danger of leaking secrets to scientist Jeff Chamberlain and his team.
Americans were wary before they knew Wan.
"When you talk to him, everything is gone," Chamberlain said . ".
"We're just comparing the notes of scientists.
I never felt that he was fishing and that was not even the feeling.
It doesn't mean he didn't do it, but we never felt it.
The world's automakers have also invited Wan.
They had no choice.
"He is our most important customer in China," said Makoto Yoshida, a government affairs official at Nissan Motor.
Last summer, he visited a factory near Yokohama, where the minister was driving a hybrid.
"If China says, 'We can't accept your technology, 'that's a big problem for us, and that's why Wan Gang is a key figure.
Today, there are more than 100 people in China. made electric-
Car models on the market, made by giants like Buffettbacked BYD Co.
And startups like Neo, who raised about $1 billion in their initial public offering this month.
Wang Chuanfu, billionaire founder of BYD, China's largest new energy vehicle maker, recalled that he met Wan in 2014.
"Wan's obsession with cleaning left a deep impression on me --
"Energy technology," he said.
Of every 20 passenger cars purchased in China, NEVs account for about one, and the number may increase due to state incentives
Real legacy of Wan
The government is building a huge network of charging stations.
By making consumers the only reliable way to get licenses in big cities, arm them to buy electric cars. (
Otherwise, the driver must enter the lottery ticket. )
Starting next year, every car manufacturer who wants to operate in China must meet the production target of the battery.
Or buy credit from competitors.
These are beneficial changes for Chamberlain.
Since 2016, the American scientist has been running Volta Energy Technologies, a battery start-up in ill neperville.
He said that the revolution brought by Wan means that if the United StatesS.
Reduce emissions or fuel
The efficiency standards that President Donald Trump talked about.
"Whether it's Ford, GM, Volkswagen, or Hyundai or Toyota, they have to have electric vehicles if they want to be part of the Chinese market," Chamberlain said . ".
"I am happy for Wan Gang because it was his vision many years ago.