: Envision Group’s CEO Zhang Lei Has No Time for Greenwashing #WorldNEWS If you need any further proof that electric vehicles (EVs) are taking over the world then consider the fact that my 86-year-old

Envision Group’s CEO Zhang Lei Has No Time for Greenwashing #WorldNEWS
If you need any further proof that electric vehicles (EVs) are taking over the world then consider the fact that my 86-year-old father already drives one. And like EVs produced by BMW, Mercedes, Honda and Renault, the model he owns—a Nissan Leaf—runs on batteries crafted by Envision Group, a world-leading greentech company founded by CEO Zhang Lei.
Zhang graduated from the London School of Economics and worked for Total and Barclays Capital in the U. K. before returning to his native China to establish Envision in 2007. The Shanghai-headquartered firm began by designing and operating smart wind turbines in places as far-flung as Chile, New Zealand and Sweden, but has since expanded into storage systems, green hydrogen power and Artificial Intelligence Internet of Things (AIoT) solutions for industrial and state clients.

Zhang’s EV battery division, Envision AESC, has supplied over 600,000 units and claims zero critical incidents. He spoke to TIME about his latest venture of Net Zero Industrial Parks that bring together suppliers and manufacturers into a single facility powered by green energy, as well as the Envision Racing Formula E team that he now runs.
“I like
slogan ‘We are racing against the climate crisis,’” says Zhang. “Its kind of symbolic of things. ” He compares the ethos to the thinking behind the Net Zero Industrial Park Envision is building in China’s biggest coal city, Ordos in Inner Mongolia. “Its an attitude, a kind of demonstration. Its also about technology. In racing, just one second can separate first place and number 10. So you need advanced battery management systems, IoT systems,” he says. “So its a very good challenge which can push us to innovate. ”
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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Envision has sprawling interests in battery production, wind farms and Net Zero Industrial Parks. What’s your guiding philosophy that knits the company together?
Our mission is to solve sustainability challenges for mankind. So, if you see batteries, wind turbines and digital IoT, they are relevant—batteries are the new oil; wind turbines are the new coal; and IoT is the new grid. Net Zero Industrial Parks are a combination of the three to create green infrastructure for governments
industrial clusters to decarbonize the supply chain. So its about solving the toughest challenges of our time.
Was there a particular moment or event that made you believe that climate change must be addressed by business?
In 2006, I was working in London and had the idea to create a renewable energy company and the vision was to harmonize energy and the environment.