EV Pioneer Ouyang Minggao Predicts AI-Powered Smart Car Boom by 2030
At the China EV100 Forum held in Beijing this week, renowned energy scientist and Tsinghua University professor Ouyang Minggao, who also serves as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, laid out a forward-looking blueprint for the next stage of China’s electric vehicle transformation. He forecasted that by 2030, AI-powered smart vehicles will become mainstream, driven by advances in autonomous driving and integrated low-carbon energy systems.
According to Ouyang, China’s EV revolution is unfolding in three strategic phases:
Powertrain electrification – the shift from combustion engines to electric motors (already in progress);
Intelligentization – the deployment of high-level assisted and autonomous driving features powered by AI;
Energy low-carbonization – the integration of green electricity, V2G (vehicle-to-grid) systems, and renewable energy storage.
He believes that 2025 will mark the breakout year for intelligent driving, especially with the rollout of highway Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) and the upcoming mass deployment of city-level NOA. These systems allow cars to autonomously navigate urban roads and highways, guided by a fusion of LiDAR, cameras, and large language model (LLM)-driven perception systems.
By 2030, Ouyang estimates that pure EVs will account for more than 70% of new car sales in China, and many of these will be equipped with real-time, adaptive AI agents — essentially turning vehicles into “mobile robots with brains.”
His remarks echoed those of several industry leaders who view 2025–2030 as a golden window for China to lead in software-defined vehicles (SDVs). As AI-generated route planning, predictive maintenance, and in-cabin interaction technologies become standard, the automotive industry is expected to converge with the broader AI ecosystem.
Ouyang’s speech also highlighted the crucial role of national policy in scaling infrastructure and regulatory support, ensuring that China’s EV industry remains a core pillar of the global smart mobility race.