Seres' Kang Bo: ESG is a Strategic Core, Not a Phased Task

"With China's new-energy vehicle fleet now numbering in the tens of millions, the resulting reduction in CO₂ emissions is, in my view, the sector's greatest contribution to the world," Kang Bo, a director and vice president at Seres Group, stated on July 2. He was speaking at the "2026 China Automotive Low-Carbon and Sustainable Development Forum and High-Efficiency Technology and New Materials Forum," hosted by Gasgoo.

Kang Bo, director and vice president of Seres Group

He noted that against the backdrop of the "15th Five-Year Plan" green transition and the restructuring of global supply chains, low-carbon competition has evolved. It is no longer just about energy efficiency in individual products, but about a collaborative upgrade spanning the entire value chain.

The "Dual-Track" Logic of Range-Extenders and Pure Electric Travel

Faced with the uneven distribution of global charging infrastructure, Seres has not relied solely on a single track—be it pure electric or internal combustion. Instead, the automaker has chosen to pursue a dual-technology strategy: range-extenders alongside pure electric powertrains.

Kang Bo believes range-extender technology will continue to thrive globally in the long term. Real-world driving data supports the environmental credentials of this approach: despite driving range-extended vehicles, AITO owners travel on pure electric power for 70% of their mileage. By 2025, this is expected to reduce cumulative CO₂ emissions by approximately 2.33 million tons.

Addressing low-carbon principles at the product level, Kang Bo highlighted the importance of "lightweighting and recyclability." For the AITO M9: using integrated die-casting technology, the company consolidated 222 parts into just 10 integrated components. This not only made the body lighter and safer—it also significantly lowered energy consumption. This initiative effectively aligns user value with environmental responsibility, delivering the performance expected of a luxury vehicle while achieving tangible energy savings.

The "Dual-Wheel Drive" of ESG Governance and AI Empowerment

In Kang Bo's view, ESG is not a temporary assignment but the strategic core of Seres' globalization. The company has established a three-tier governance structure—"Board of Directors, ESG Committee, and ESG Working Group"—to embed sustainability requirements into every business decision. Clear strategic targets have been set: reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality in production operations by 2045.

Beyond top-level design, AI is playing a transformative role in manufacturing and carbon management. Kang Bo shared three key metrics: 100% automation of critical processes, and 100% online visibility, analysis, and manageability of energy consumption data across the plant. Precise tracking of product carbon footprints has also been achieved. In carbon management, AI automatically matches emission factors, replacing traditional manual reporting and enabling real-time tracking of carbon footprints throughout a product's entire lifecycle.

Furthermore, Seres has pioneered a "plant-within-a-plant" model for its supply chain, embedding production lines from core suppliers like Yanfeng and CATL directly inside its own facilities. For CATL: its power battery production line sits inside Seres' super factory. The production line can be adjusted within 20 minutes of receiving an instruction, boosting collaborative efficiency while drastically cutting emissions from logistics. Kang Bo revealed that by 2025, Seres had collected real-world carbon footprint data for 9,272 individual components.

Concluding his speech, Kang Bo issued a call to the industry: "There are no bystanders in the green transition, only active participants." From its beginnings making a single spring to becoming a Chinese presence in global luxury vehicle rankings, Seres' story suggests that on the low-carbon track, systematic governance and the application of cutting-edge technology may be the key to breaking through in global competition.