The Challenge Bibendum 2004 runs this week in Shanghai. Created in 1998 by Michelin Group to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of Bibendum, the “Michelin Man”, Challenge Bibendum has quickly become an annual forum for industry, policymakers and experts to review the latest technologies and progress made in the area of alternative energies and sustainable mobility.

This year, 106 companies, 40% from China, are participating with some 140 vehicles, including passenger cars, electric two-wheels and buses. All the participating vehicles are listed on the Challenge Bibendum website here. From this list, I plotted the different models represented in each type of powertrain. The resulting chart is to the right. (Click to enlarge.) I only counted model types, not the actual numbers of those types, so the summary of the numbers plotted is less than the total number of vehicles participating. (Some vendors brought more than one of certain models.)

Battery-driven powertrains lead the pack with 28% of the models in the Challenge, followed closely by diesel (27%). Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles come next (11%), and then various types of hybrids. Looked at another way, electric vehicles (battery and fuel cell) represent 39% of the models, Internal Combustion Engines (diesel, gasoline, CNG, LNG, LPG) represent 47%, and hybrids (diesel, gasoline, hydrogen) 12%.

All but one of the hydrogen cars use compressed gas. And interestingly, there are no hydrogen-burning ICE models (H₂ICE) in the event (at least based on the pre-event list.)

More to come.