The main mode of transportation for the export of new energy vehicles
Roll-on/roll-off shipping
| Roll-on/roll-off ships are the mainstream mode of transportation for the export of new energy vehicles https://www.tianliauto.com/ and hold an important position due to their unique design advantages. This type of vessel is equipped with multiple decks, allowing vehicles to directly enter the cabin for parking without the need for complex hoisting procedures, which can minimize the risk of vehicle collisions during transportation to the greatest extent. China is guiding shipping enterprises to rationally increase the scale of their ro-ro transport fleets. At the same time, it is supporting ports in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and other regions to enhance the capacity of specialized Ro-ro berths, increase frequency and open new routes. For instance, key ports such as Shanghai Port and Guangzhou Port have established mature roll-on/roll-off transportation systems, capable of carrying thousands of new energy vehicles at a time, which are suitable for large-scale and regular export demands. |
Container transportation
With the introduction of technical standards for container transportation of passenger vehicles, container transportation has become an important supplement to roll-on/roll-off ship transportation. Through customized container solutions, it is possible to load 1-2 new energy vehicles in a single container, which is particularly suitable for short-haul routes or small-batch transportation. The advantage of this approach lies in its strong flexibility, which can rely on the mature global container shipping network to cover more ports. However, before transportation, the vehicle must be strictly fixed and protected to ensure compliance with the safety regulations of the International Maritime Organization regarding the transportation of power batteries. Currently, it has been widely applied in exports to emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Innovative transportation methods such as pulp carriers
| To address the tight capacity of roll-on/roll-off ships, the industry is exploring the use of unconventional vessels such as pulp carriers for transportation. Pulp carriers were originally used for transporting bulk cargo such as pulp. By temporarily modifying the holds and adding fixed devices, they can now be used for batch loading of new energy vehicles. This "cross-border" transportation mode can effectively activate idle capacity and reduce reliance on a single mode of transportation. Especially when the shipping market fluctuates greatly, it provides more transportation options for enterprises. |
Railway transportation (Potential Direction)
For key components such as power batteries, China is actively researching technical solutions for railway transportation and is expected to expand to the field of full-truckload transportation in the future. Railway transportation features high stability and is less affected by weather conditions, making it suitable for exports to Central Asia, Europe and other regions via routes such as the China-Europe Railway Express. At present, some pilot routes have attempted to carry out full-train transportation of new energy vehicles. With the improvement of technical standards, it is expected to become an important channel for land-based exports.
| Different modes of transportation have their own focuses. Roll-on/roll-off ships dominate large-scale long-distance transportation, while containers and innovative vessels fill the flexible transportation demands. Railway transportation, on the other hand, demonstrates potential in land channels. Enterprises can make a comprehensive choice based on factors such as export scale, destination, and time requirements. Meanwhile, the improvement of policy-level standards and the guarantee of transportation capacity will further promote the coordinated development of various modes of transportation. |  |