Is the spring of extended-range electric vehicles coming? How is the development of extended-range electric vehicles in my country?

On July 25, "Electric Vehicle Observer" published the article "Nissan Note e-power is hot, is the spring of extended range electric vehicles coming?" After the article was published, it caused quite a lot of controversy. The focus was whether GM Volt and Nissan Note e-power count as extensions.

"Electric Vehicle Observer" first withdraws this article. After re-examination, we believe that whether Volt is an extended program is controversial. However, if the national standard "Electric Vehicle Terminology" is applied, because the Volt on-board power supply device and the drive system have a transmission connection, some work Under the circumstances, the engine will participate in the drive. Volt is defined by China's national standard and is not an extended-range electric vehicle in China.

As for Note e-power, it is a series hybrid, that is, the engine does not directly participate in the drive. There is basically no dispute, but its power battery is very small, only 1.5kwh. Can it be recognized by the "Electric Vehicle Terminology" as having "pure electric battery life" Mileage" is also controversial. However, the series hybrid of Note e-power is very similar to the general range-extended electric vehicle. So we revised and reissued this article to introduce the products of this technical route to everyone and discuss the prospects of the program in China. Thank you for your criticism and guidance on "Electric Vehicle Observer".

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In the first half of this year, Nissan helped Nissan to top the Japanese passenger car sales list for the second time after a lapse of 48 years, surpassing the former Toyota Prius-Nissan. Note e-Power has been on the market for a year and a half, and its sales have been rising, making it the most popular car among Japanese consumers.

What's more noteworthy is that this car uses a series hybrid power system. Although it also has an engine, it is only used to drive the generator to charge the battery and does not participate in the driving of the vehicle. The driving force is driven by the battery discharge drive motor, which is very similar to electric vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles.

The hot sale of Nissan Note e-Power has made the automobile industry emerge a technical route worth looking forward to during the evolution from fuel-driven to pure electric drive. From a global perspective, it is very close to Nissan's Note e-Power, which often uses series hybrid technology for extended-range electric vehicles. The market performance has been tepid, and there are only a handful of car companies that have officially launched extended-range electric vehicles. Note e-Power is selling hot in Japan, can we have more expectations for extended-range electric vehicles? Will the extended program gain the same market recognition in China?

Nearly 150,000 sold

In November 2016, Nissan Note e-Power was officially released, which is the first model equipped with e-Power system.

Prior to this, extended-range electric vehicles such as the BMW i3 and Fisker Karma have all gone on sale. They are similar to Nissan Note e-Power in that the fuel engine can only generate electricity, not drive, but their power battery is much larger and the battery life is longer.

However, the market performance of these cars is not good. From January to June this year, BMW i3 pure electric version and extended range version sold a total of 3504 units. Fisker Karma was discontinued in 2012. GAC Trumpchi once launched an extended-range electric vehicle, which was later changed to a plug-in hybrid route.

Unlike the sluggish sales of these series hybrid models, Nissan Note e-Power has been highly accepted by the market after its launch.

According to data released by the Japan Automobile Sales Association Federation, in 2017, the sales of Nissan Note (including the fuel version and e-Power) in Japan were 138,905, and the sales on January -6, 2018 were 73,800, respectively. In the same period, Japan ranked 2nd and 1st in passenger car sales.

Nissan Japan stated in an official press release that “about 70% of consumers who purchase Note have purchased models equipped with e-Power systems”. According to this ratio, Note e-Power has sold nearly 150,000 units.

"An electric car that can generate electricity by itself"

The sales volume of Note e-Power in the local market is rising rapidly. What are the reasons?

Nissan refers to Note e-Power as "an electric car that can generate electricity by itself," so there is no need for charging and no charging port. This car uses series hybrid power, equipped with a three-cylinder 1.2L displacement engine, the same motor of Nissan Leaf, and a 1.5kWh battery pack with a maximum power of 80kW and a peak torque of 254Nm.

According to Nissan’s official website, the e-Power power system is characterized by full motor drive, and the power of the wheels is all directly provided by the motor. The power generated by the battery is transmitted to the e-Power power system consisting of a fuel engine, generator, inverter and motor.

Note e-Power's power system

Source: Nissan China official website

In the traditional hybrid power system, when the battery power is low (or running at high speed), the electric motor and the fuel engine need to provide driving force for the wheels. In the e-Power power system, the fuel engine is no longer connected to the wheels. Play a role in charging the battery. In addition, unlike pure electric vehicles, the energy source of the e-Power power system is the engine, not the battery.

The main features of Note e-Power are reflected in two aspects: low fuel consumption and low noise.

In terms of fuel consumption, in accordance with the Japanese JC08 standard (the fuel consumption standard that Japan has implemented since October 2007, the unit is km/L, that is, the number of kilometers per liter of fuel can travel), the fuel economy of Note e-Power is 37.2km/L , Slightly lower than the 40.8 km/l level of the 4th generation Prius.

Note e-Power's noise reduction design

Source: Nissan Japan official website

"Quiet" is also a big selling point of Note e-Power.

In addition to improving the noise of the engine, Note e-Power's front, rear and sides are all designed with sound insulation baffles to minimize the impact of noise.

Program extension in China: "Identity" is unknown, and the listing rate is low

Seeing that Note e-Power is selling well in neighboring island countries, we can’t help asking, can this technical route be promoted in China? In China, this kind of series hybrid power is mostly used in extended-range electric vehicles (different from Nissan Note e-Power in that it has a long pure electric range and can generally be plugged in), will it become one of the mainstream technical routes? ?

If you are asked to name the extended-range electric vehicles sold in China, most people may not be able to do it-there are too few companies producing extended-range electric vehicles.

The article "2017 China New Energy Automobile Industry Development Report" published by the China Automotive Technology Research Center and "Overview of China's New Energy Passenger Vehicle Industry Development in 2016" shows that only Chery and Guangzhou Automobile are the only Chinese companies that have clearly defined program extension as one of the technical routes. The only foreign companies are General Motors and BMW.

Although the listing rate is low, the extended program has always been one of China’s new energy vehicles. In May 2016, the article "Interpretation: Promoting the Development of Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicles" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also mentioned that the promotion of energy conservation and The key areas for the development of the new energy vehicle industry include high-performance plug-in hybrid powertrains and range extender engines.

Source: "Regulations on the Investment Management of the Automobile Industry (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)"

In the "Regulations on the Management of Newly-built Pure Electric Passenger Vehicle Enterprises" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in June 2015 and the "Regulations on the Investment Management of the Automobile Industry (Draft for Comment)" issued by the National Development and Reform Commission in June 2018, the extended-range electric vehicle projects still belong to Pure electric vehicle projects; plug-in hybrid vehicles are listed as fuel vehicle investment projects.

This subtle difference looks like the state intends to encourage investment in the field of extended-range electric vehicles. A person in charge of research and development at a car factory believes that from the national industrial policy guidance, the extended program is very promising. From a technical point of view, the extended program not only has the advantages of pure electric driving, but also solves the worry about mileage. It is a good solution. .

However, when it comes to government subsidies, the extended program is classified as plug-in hybrid technology (usually appearing in brackets).

The latest subsidy plan for new energy vehicles released in February 2018

The most substantial impact of this on extended-range electric vehicles is that they cannot enjoy the relatively high financial subsidies that pure electric vehicles do. Many industry insiders told the "Electric Vehicle Observer" that squeezed by the pure electric subsidy policy is a major reason for the lag in the development of extended-range electric vehicles. In their view, extended-range electric vehicle projects are more suitable for an environment without subsidy policies.

When asked why the extended program route has always been in a “non-mainstream” status in China, Yang Yusheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told the “Electric Vehicle Observer”, “First, the subsidy for pure electric vehicles is twice as high as that for extended programs; Electricity (relative to extended range and plug-in hybrid) is the easiest and easiest to make. It is simple and the subsidy is high. Who will put the fat on the bones?"

Program extension, "we have been pushing"

There are not many car companies that choose to chew the "bones" of the extended program, and Chery is one of them.

"Pure electric + extended range" is Chery's technological development direction. As early as 2010, Chery undertook several extended-range technology research projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and exhibited the first small-scale extended-range pure electric vehicle in China at the 25th World Electric Vehicle Conference on November 5, 2010. Chery S18D-REEV can achieve a cruising range of 300 kilometers.

Riich M1-REEV Extended Range Electric Vehicle

On April 19, 2011, Chery exhibited the Riich M1-REEV extended-range electric car at the Shanghai International Auto Show. At that time, the car had a range of 350 kilometers. However, Riich M1-REEV was not mass-produced after the auto show.

In January 2014, the official website of the Ministry of Science and Technology forwarded the article "Anhui Chery Fully Increases Research and Development of New Energy Vehicles" from the Department of Science and Technology of Anhui Province, introducing Chery’s "full effort to develop plug-in hybrid power, new structure lightweight, extended range electric vehicles, fuel Cutting-edge technologies such as battery cars." "The extended-range electric car has completed the development of a performance prototype, and the driving range of the vehicle can reach more than 400 kilometers."

Now, more than three years have passed, what is the progress of Chery's extended-range electric vehicle?

Ni Shaoyong, Dean of Chery New Energy Research Institute, said, “In recent years, we have been pushing this matter (the extended-range electric vehicle project). We have been pushing in this direction. I think our plan is feasible, but it will not be too long. , Our extended program new products will come out."

Regarding the outside world’s misgivings that the fuel saving rate of the extended range is not high when driving at low or high speeds, and the fuel consumption is even greater than that of fuel vehicles, Ni Shaoyong said that some extended range programs have this problem, but Chery’s solutions are less affected by working conditions. There is no problem of high fuel consumption under low-speed and high-speed working conditions. However, he did not disclose details of Chery's extended-range electric vehicle project.

If Chery is a representative of a traditional car company that insists on developing an extended range route, the representative of new car companies in this field should be the car and family.

In the early days of its establishment, Chehejia established a development route for ultra-small pure electric vehicles SEV, medium and large-scale extended-range electric SUVs, and vehicles suitable for 0-100 kilometers. According to the information released by Che Hejia, the pure electric cruising range of this SUV is 150 kilometers. After the engine is started, the whole vehicle cruising range can reach 800 kilometers.

In a recent internal interview with Che Hejia, Che Hejia founder Li Xiang said that the main purpose of choosing the extended program route is to solve the problem of user mileage anxiety.

Car companies-looking for a small, quiet and efficient range extender

The inability to enjoy subsidies equivalent to pure electric vehicles is one of the reasons for the slow development of extended-range electric vehicles in China. So, is the extended program expected to become one of the mainstream technology routes in the post-subsidy era? Yang Yusheng's view is very optimistic.

He believes that after the subsidy declines, the additional program will greatly develop. "Note e-Power has had such sales results for one and a half years after its launch. It can be seen that the future of the series hybrid route is limitless. The battery consumption of the extended-range electric vehicle is small, the price is low, and the weight of the vehicle is also low. It is very light. As long as the engine and control system suitable for extended-range electric vehicles are made, the extended-range route is very promising." He said.

However, at present, there are very few companies that can "make engines and control systems suitable for extended-range electric vehicles".

Chen Ping, chief engineer of BAIC New Energy, believes that if car companies want to develop extended-range vehicles, they must first find small and efficient engines. However, domestic companies lack experience in these areas. At present, there is basically no good increase in the market. Chengqi products.

In terms of fuel engine design, domestic enterprises are relatively weak in competitiveness, and the engines suitable for extended range are different from traditional fuel vehicle engines, and many problems such as loud noise and low efficiency will occur. "These difficulties are not only faced by domestic companies, but also faced by international car manufacturers." Chen Ping said.

Chen Ping said that even with a small and efficient range extender, car companies must also master a reasonable and economical arrangement-how to combine the battery, range extender and cooling system, how to control it, and achieve a balance of performance. Hard to handle. At the same time, it is necessary to achieve higher economic efficiency-that is, lower power consumption and energy consumption. "Note e-Power came out, it is also an example, let everyone see how this kind of car (extended program) is configured." He said.

The person in charge of the R&D of the above-mentioned car company agrees that at present, there has been no major breakthrough in the thermal efficiency of domestic range extenders. If it is to be very high, the cost will increase accordingly. In addition, when the range extender is under low-speed load, NVH (Noise , Vibration, Harshness (namely noise, vibration and comfort) is also a problem.

"In addition, the disadvantages of the extended program in the high-speed stage are obvious. After energy conversion, the conversion efficiency will be reduced. On the whole, the application scenarios of the extended program are relatively limited. We believe that the extended program is a supplement to pure electric power. Technical route to solve mileage anxiety and cost pressure." The person in charge said.

In the view of Ma Donghui, chief engineer of Chehejia, what is lacking in the development of extended-range electric vehicles is not only companies that do well in range extenders, but also the willingness of enterprises to do well in range extenders.

He introduced that although the domestic fuel engine technology is relatively weak, compared with traditional engines, the operating conditions of the extended range are relatively simple and the technical difficulty is relatively low. However, the operating conditions of the range extender and the engine are not exactly the same, and the engine is developed for the control efficiency of the range extension to be suitable for the range extension electric vehicle.

Ma Donghui told the "Electric Vehicle Observer" that there is currently no engine specifically developed for range extender in China. Existing products are often modified on the basis of traditional engines, which is far from enough. "The range extender needs to be developed in terms of technology and structural design. The capabilities of the enterprise can be achieved, but there is not enough attention. Everyone is swarming to make pure electric motors and is unwilling to develop such an engine according to the range extension route."

Ma Donghui believes that the above-mentioned problems of "the fuel saving rate of the extended range is not high when driving at low or high speed" and high noise, Ma Donghui believes that they can all be dealt with through certain strategies.

He said, "The fuel saving rate of extended range is not high when driving at low or high speed" is one-sided. Whether it is running at low or high speed, when the battery's SOC (State of Charge, the remaining power) is relatively high, The range extender is not activated. Even if the SOC is reduced to the point where it is necessary to start the range extender, certain strategies and methods can be used to select a relatively economical speed. In addition, the extended-range electric vehicle can recover energy when braking, but the fuel vehicle cannot. Therefore, under the same conditions (vehicle weight and wind speed, etc.), there will be no increase in fuel consumption than fuel-fueled vehicles.

Regarding the noise problem, Ma Donghui believes that the noise has nothing to do with whether it is a range extender, but depends on the technology of the range extender itself. Two-cylinder engines and three-cylinder engines are used on traditional fuel vehicles. NVH is not very good. It is also a difficult point to use in extended range. However, if a four-cylinder engine is used, the difference in vibration and noise between fuel vehicles and extended range is not great. It can be adjusted by strategy.

"For example, at low speeds or when the vehicle is stopped, the range extender is not allowed to start, and the range extender is activated when the vehicle is running. As a result, passengers and drivers will be less sensitive to vehicle vibration. Under certain conditions If the SOC is not particularly low, the range extender can not be activated to avoid similar noise problems." He said.

Has the spring of program extension come? Cost-effective has the final say

Is the spring of extended-range electric vehicles far away? In other words, will it still appear?

The above-mentioned industry insiders believe that even with the current low subsidies, extended-range electric vehicles are still very competitive. "Although the purchase cost of extended-range vehicles is higher than that of fuel-fueled vehicles, the cost of use is much lower than that of fuel-fueled vehicles. If environmental protection costs are considered, coupled with some policy guidance, the extended range is more cost-effective, and the opportunity is still quite large."

Of course, we cannot demand that ordinary consumers consider environmental protection costs into their car purchases. The true price-performance ratio is the key.

If environmental protection factors are not taken into consideration, what is the price/performance ratio of the extended program? Chen Ping said, "From the perspective of performance and overall price/performance ratio, the extended program should not be better than the plug-in hybrid. Of course, it also depends on the subsequent development and cost-effective improvement of the extended program."

Ma Donghui believes that when commenting on the cost-effectiveness of the extended program, model positioning must be considered. As an economical family car, Note e-Power has a good overall market performance, while large-scale extended-range electric vehicles have different requirements for system deployment and range extenders, with large volume and displacement, good performance and high prices.

"Compared with a fuel vehicle, the extended range has an extra system, the price is definitely higher, but the fuel economy is also high; if compared with a pure electric vehicle, the premise must be the same range. For example, the extended range has a battery life of 600 kilometers. The battery life of the electric must also be 600 kilometers. In this way, the extended range will have an advantage-it will not be limited by travel options and radius, which is also a cost-effective aspect." He said.

"My opinion is that in 10 years, the extended range should be a better transition model between fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles. Because pure electric involves the problems of cruising range and insufficient charging piles, plug-in hybrids have technical thresholds. The extended range is a better balance between hybrid power and extended range." Ma Donghui told "Electric Vehicle Observer."

Going back to the original question, can domestically-made extended program products replicate the record of Note e-Power in Japan in the Chinese market? The key depends on the company's technological accumulation, after the tide recedes, whether it can produce market-recognized products. As Ni Shaoyong said, "If our (extended program) product allows users to travel without restrictions, I think it is entirely possible (to gain market recognition)." (End)