It is understood that as of the end of July this year, China-Europe trains have operated more than 57,000 trains, transporting 5.3 million TEUs of goods, with a heavy container rate of 98.3% and a cumulative value of nearly 300 billion US dollars. In terms of coverage, China-Europe freight trains have laid out a total of 82 transportation routes, reaching 196 cities in 24 European countries, gradually “connecting points into lines” and “weaving lines into a network”. The international transportation artery that runs through Eurasia.
It is worth mentioning that after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, under the circumstance that sea and air transportation was blocked, the domestic China-Europe freight train operation platform took the initiative to meet the export needs of enterprises, and cooperated with a large number of enterprises such as Geely, Volvo, TCL, Lenovo, etc. Column”, providing full logistics and transportation solutions, providing important support for domestic and foreign enterprises to maintain the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain.
As Xu Jianping, director of the opening department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said, the China Railway Express has become an important bridge for international economic and trade cooperation, an important carrier for deepening cooperation between China and countries along the route, an important support for promoting regional economic development, and a guarantee at the same time. The “life channel” of industrial chain supply chain security.
In the busy China-Europe train carriages, the categories of goods shipped from China to Europe have changed from the originalcell phone, computers and other IT products, and expanded to 53 categories and more than 50,000 commodities including automobiles, machinery and equipment, and anti-epidemic materials. Among the categories of goods shipped from Europe to China, automobiles and zeroAccessorieshas always occupied a very important position.
How the China Railway Express has become a “better solution” for automobile import and export
“Compared to sea and air transportation, the transportation price of China-Europe freight trains is one-fifth of that of air, and the operating time is one-fourth of that of sea transportation. At the same time, it is less affected by the natural environment and has high stability.” As Xu Jianping said, there is a certain For products that require high volume and timeliness, China-Europe freight trains are very attractive.
The “China-Europe Railway Express Development Report (2021)” shows that, considering the time cost of high value-added goods in transit, the China-Europe Railway Express can save 8%-20% of the comprehensive logistics cost compared with traditional sea-rail combined transportation. In addition, China-Europe freight trains also have the advantages of less impact from the natural environment and high stability, and have comparative advantages in meeting specific logistics needs such as high added value and strong effectiveness.
It is worth mentioning that the average carbon emissions of China-Europe trains are only one-fifteenth of air transport and one-seventh of road transport. They have played a good role in coping with global climate change and leading the sustainable development of global transportation. Demonstration.
“Another major advantage of the China-Europe train is that it can carry out trade along the way.” Pan Helin, co-director and researcher of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center of Zhejiang University International Business School, said that compared with direct air and sea transportation to the destination, China-Europe The train has greater potential in developing regional trade along the route, “stopping all the way, unloading and transshipping goods all the way, and facilitating inland trade”.
Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that in July, auto companies exported 290,000 vehicles, a record high, and the export volume increased by 16.5% month-on-month and 67% year-on-year. From January to July this year, auto companies exported 1.509 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 50.6%, and the annual export is expected to exceed 2.4 million vehicles, in line with expectations at the beginning of the year.
“For automobile import and export trade, the China-Europe freight train is a relatively moderate cost, but also has strong stability and effectiveness.” Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, believes that with the rapid development of China’s automobile exports in recent years With rapid growth, relevant companies should pay more attention to choosing international logistics and transportation solutions.
He suggested that in the face of the complex market environment and some international black swan events, companies should form an international transportation mode with multiple plans that match and coordinate with each other. “For example, through the organic combination of China-Europe trains, shipping and other solutions, the international transportation of complete vehicles and parts can be more stable, thereby promoting the healthy development of the entire automobile import and export market.” Jiang Han said.
Cao Guangping, an independent researcher of new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, believes that considering that the whole vehicle is a high value-added cargo, the complex power system, electronic system and even the body paint are very delicate. Therefore, compared with shipping, China-Europe freight trains have the advantage of preventing salt spray corrosion. “In addition, the safety and punctuality of railway transportation are also more guaranteed.”
Facing the new exam questions of new energy vehicles
Of course, in the face of the treacherous international situation, it is not easy for China-Europe trains to resist risks or to protect the import and export of automobiles.
Xu Jianping said that after the Ukrainian crisis broke out, the countries along the China-Europe freight train worked together to resist risks, and realized the “non-stop”, “strong timeliness” and “steady growth” of the China-Europe freight train. From January to July this year, 8,990 China-Europe freight trains traveled, carrying 869,000 TEUs of goods, maintaining the level of “one thousand trains per month” for 27 consecutive months.
“From the perspective of monthly dispatch, after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the China-Europe freight train experienced a small and short-term decline in March and April, and the monthly freight volume has rebounded rapidly since May, and has recovered to the Ukraine crisis in May and June. The normal level before the outbreak.” He said that the number of trips in July increased significantly, and the number of trips in a single month exceeded the 1,500-line mark for the first time.
“The China-Europe Railway Express has built a new all-weather, large-capacity, green and low-carbon land transportation channel, which is a major innovation in the international transportation service system. It is precisely because the China-Europe Railway Express has become a veritable international public product that it continues to show Strong development resilience and growth potential.” Some industry analysts said that considering the soaring international shipping prices in recent years, and the prolonged transportation time and shipping route cycle in some regions, the global supply chain has been congested. play a unique advantage.
Another major test is the new topic brought by the “popularity” of new energy vehicles.
The latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in July this year, 54,000 new energy vehicles were exported, a month-on-month increase of 89.9% and a year-on-year increase of 37.6%.
The reporter learned that due to the particularity of lithium batteries, railways and aviation often have harsh conditions for their long-distance transportation, and there is a need for “separation of vehicle and electricity”.
A person in charge of a car company revealed that when transported by container mode or railway, the power battery of new energy vehicles will be classified as “dangerous goods”, so the battery has to be removed. “This will greatly increase the company’s transportation costs and carbon emissions during transportation, and affect the export efficiency of new energy vehicles and lithium battery parts.
“Like cold chain and chemical transportation, long-distance transportation of new energy vehicles and power batteries should also have more specialized supporting services.” Pan Helin suggested that China-Europe freight trains can open up more special services based on actual conditions. The transportation business of goods, “such as setting up special carriages to ensure the safe transportation of new energy vehicles and power batteries”.
“Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, the charge of new energy vehicles has increased hundreds of times.” Cao Guangping explained that most of the power batteries of new energy vehicles are lithium-ion batteries, and transportation safety issues should not be underestimated.
He said that when carrying out international long-distance transportation, the battery of new energy vehicles should be kept in a low power state, and at the same time, the fixation should be more reliable, and the vehicle packaging should also pay attention to avoid fire hazards. In addition, before transporting new energy vehicles and power batteries, a fire safety plan must be prepared in advance.
During the National People’s Congress and the National People’s Congress in 2021, Li Shufu, deputy to the National People’s Congress and chairman of Geely Holding Group, also suggested that the relevant regulations for railway transportation should be adapted according to the product characteristics of new energy vehicles and existing safety standards, so that electric vehicles can be integrated. Vehicles and parts of lithium batteries can be transported efficiently, safely and economically by rail.
“Railway transportation has huge advantages, especially in international long-distance transportation. Railway transportation has surpassed sea transportation and land transportation in terms of economy, stability and carbon emissions.” In Li Shufu’s view, considering the market and business needs, it will be opened in a timely manner. The special train for new energy vehicle transportation will greatly meet the “going out” of Chinese car companies and the growing market demand for new energy vehicles in Europe.
The automobile industry is one of the most globalized industries, and the automobile is also the commodity with the largest amount of global trade in goods, which plays an important role in the trade growth and economic development of various countries.
From multinational auto giants rushing into the Chinese market, to “Made in China, global export”, to Chinese brands successfully going overseas with new energy vehicles, exports to developed countries have increased significantly… The development history of China’s auto industry in recent decades is that The best window to reflect China’s economic resilience and potential. Therefore, people have reason to believe that once the international transportation standards for new energy vehicles are unified and clarified, the China-Europe train running across the “Silk Road Economic Belt” will not only benefit consumers, but also contribute to the development and development of China’s auto industry. Global mainstream market, inject more power.