More than 120 attendees from leading U.S. and Chinese clean truck and bus technology companies, together with representatives from key agencies of both governments, took part in the first U.S.-China Clean Truck and Bus Summit in Beijing this week to help link U.S. firms with Chinese partners to increase exports.
The summit is a first of its kind event to link U.S. and Chinese companies specifically in clean fuels and technology for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and is a key component of CALSTART’s overall U.S.-China Clean Truck and Bus Technology Forum, supported in part by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA).
“Our objective is to bring top industry and government leaders together in a small, focused summit aimed at advancing the clean truck and bus market,” said John Boesel, president & CEO of CALSTART.
U.S. industry summit sponsors include technology leaders Dow Kokam (energy storage), Navistar (truck and engine), Eaton Corp. (hybrid, electric, transmission), BAE Systems (hybrid, power management) and Wells Fargo (clean tech investment), together with Chinese industry sponsor Weichai Power (engine, hybrid, power generation).
Government attendees included representatives from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of State, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In addition, transit operators from major Chinese urban centers took part in the event.
“A key part of the summit’s success is due to our strong partners in China,” noted Bill Van Amburg, CALSTART senior vice president and creator of the Forum. “The Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET) has been our primary organizing partner, with co-hosting partners China Automotive Energy Research Institute (CAERI) and CCNP, a heavy duty powertrain new energy alliance led by Weichai. Their expertise and contacts in China, coupled with our deep relationships in the U.S. clean transportation industry, have made the first summit extremely valuable for attendees, and lays the groundwork for future summits and next steps.”
An award from the Commerce Department’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) partially supports the U.S.-China Clean Truck and Bus Forum work. MDCP work is targeted at well-defined business plans aimed at increasing exports and U.S. competitiveness within certain industries.
For more information on the U.S.-China Clean Truck and Bus Technology Forum visit www.chinacleantruck.org.
