What Are the Reasons for the High Fuel Consumption of Domestic Cars?
1 Answers
There are several reasons for the high fuel consumption of domestic cars: 1. Engine technology issues: Although China has developed many technologies to reduce engine fuel consumption, such as variable valve timing (VVT), turbocharging, and direct fuel injection, the overall mastery of these technologies still falls short compared to joint-venture cars. Domestic car manufacturers cannot directly use these technologies and must find ways to circumvent patent restrictions, which limits engine development. 2. Transmission matching: No matter how powerful an engine is, it requires a well-matched transmission to maintain the most economical RPM range. Therefore, transmission matching is a crucial and time-consuming task. Due to a lack of experience and time constraints in the domestic car development process, it is often difficult to achieve comprehensive optimization, resulting in engines frequently operating outside the optimal RPM range, wasting energy and fuel. 3. Vehicle weight: Many people believe that heavier vehicles are safer, but this is not necessarily true. Some lightweight high-strength steels or aluminum alloys can achieve higher strength than conventional steel. Higher vehicle weight directly leads to higher fuel consumption, indicating the use of ordinary materials and suboptimal design. For instance, more steel is often used to ensure strength, and engines may not be made entirely of aluminum. In contrast, joint-venture cars often employ high-strength materials and hollow-out designs to reduce weight while maintaining strength, achieving lightweighting to minimize the impact of vehicle weight on fuel consumption.
