Driving into the future at SAIC-GM Pavilion

The SAIC-GM pavilion. provided to china daily

Men love cars as much as women love diamonds, which may explain why it is mostly male visitors to the Expo that are prepared to endure the heat and long lines to get into the SAIC-GM Pavilion.

But these days, the future of the motor vehicle is viewed differently. It's now not about style, speed and status, it more links to the everyday concerns of people about the dependency on fossil fuels, pollution and the environment.

Full coverage:

The theme the SAIC-GM Pavilion wants to present to visitors is that of environmentally friendly, intelligent and safe transportation systems. It also envisages a city transportation system of the future that puts aside the current concept of the relationship between vehicles and transportation.

Inside the pavilion, the year 2030 is mentioned everywhere. This is the year that SAIC-GM hopes the concepts exhibited in the pavilion that will become a reality. It is not just a dream, say staff in the pavilion. And judging by some of the vehicles on display, they may be right.

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation's Ye Zi (Leaf) concept car and General Motor's EN-V concept car are the most eye-catching vehicles in the pavilion.

The Leaf has a leaf-shaped roof fitted with solar panels that produce and store energy. The leaf structure can move in order to attract the most powerful sunlight. Also, its wheels are fitted with additional vanes, which are designed to turn in the wind, generating electricity as they do so.

It also has what its makers call a "CO2-absorbing body". Its metal-organic framework is said to imitate photosynthesis, absorbing CO2 and water to generate an electric current and oxygen.

"The Leaf is designed to use natural conversion energy," said Liu Qihua, an SAIC engineer.

"I love this car, it is just adorable," said Zhao Shaoran, 48, a visitor to the pavilion. "I hope it comes onto the market while I still have the chance to drive it."

GM's EN-V is also proving popular among visitors to the pavilion, with many people making a special trip to the Expo just to see the vehicle. "I saw it several times on TV," said Liu Zhengqiang, 31. "Now, I want to see how it works in front of my own eyes."

EN-V, short for Electric Networked-Vehicle, is a two-seat, emission-free vehicle that uses electric motors in its two wheels. The motors not only provide power for acceleration, but also bring the vehicle to a stop.

Power for the motors is provided by lithium-ion batteries and they can be recharged from a conventional household wall power outlet. The EN-V can travel at least 40 kilometers on a single charge, while dynamic stabilization technology gives EN-V the ability to carry two passengers and light cargo as well as enabling it to "turn on a dime".

GM says the combination of EN-V's sensing technology, wireless communication and GPS-based navigation - all of which allow it to be driven "autonomously" (without a driver) - establishes a technology foundation, which lead the way to future advanced vehicle systems.

SAIC-GM pavilion not only offers visitors a dream of the future of transportation, it also presents finished products to demonstrate that this dream will someday become a reality.

"Those two concept cars are telling all of us: 'zero emission, zero accidents, no petrol and no more traffic jams'. All of this is possible by 2030," said Jin Qi, the director of the pavilion.