On August 7th, Cadillac’s first all-electric luxury SUV, the LYRIQ, was officially unveiled with plans for production in 2022, marking the beginning of Cadillac’s electric deployment.
Based on General Motors’ latest BEV3 platform, the LYRIQ is equipped with Ultium batteries. This platform, which we have previously reported on, is a native platform that will play a critical role in GM’s electrification efforts. Let’s take a look at some key information about the new car.
About the Three Electrics
The LYRIQ has a battery capacity of 100 kWh and can travel up to 300 miles (about 483 kilometers) on a single charge. The official testing standards have not been disclosed, but judging from the battery capacity and mileage, it should meet EPA standards.
The fastest charging speed is 150 kW, which is not slow, but the 1.5C charging rate from the battery capacity is conventional. The key issue is how the infrastructure for high-power charging stations will be established.
The Ultium platform uses NCMA nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum lithium batteries. The official statement claims that this chemical formulation utilizes aluminum on the cathode to reduce the need for cobalt and other rare-earth materials. Compared to GM’s current batteries, GM engineers have reduced the cobalt content by more than 70%.
Although the Ultium platform can accommodate battery capacities ranging from 50 kWh to 200 kWh, soft pack cells are used for all batteries, which is GM’s usual style. This is currently a niche choice in the Chinese market.
Cadillac did not disclose any powertrain data, only indicating that there will be two versions of rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
About Advanced Driver Assistance
There is no doubt that the LYRIQ is equipped with Super Cruise. It is an enhanced version that not only allows for hands-free driving, but also includes automatic turn signal-controlled lane changing.
In addition, the LYRIQ also features automatic parking based on ultrasonic sensors for autonomous parking when the driver is not in the car.
About Configuration HighlightsPart of the vehicle interior, LYRIQ features a 33-inch curved LED screen with over 1 billion colors, which is probably the largest screen after Byton. According to the official introduction, driver information details, infotainment control, and camera views are integrated into the screen. Does this mean that LYRIQ’s ADAS also supports visual display?
In addition, LYRIQ also supports AR-HUD. The information displayed on AR-HUD is divided into two layers. The near plane displays information such as speed and direction, while the far plane displays transparent navigation signals and other important tips. Although this configuration is rare in the new forces of car making, traditional automakers are making strong efforts in this area. The already launched Volkswagen ID.3 and the upcoming W223 Mercedes-Benz S-Class are equipped with AR-HUD.
As for the audio system, this time Cadillac chose to cooperate with AKG and introduced a brand-new road noise reduction technology for the first time. By introducing more microphones and accelerometers, active noise reduction is taken to a new level. Although pure electric vehicles do not have engine noise, they still have more obvious wind and road noise. We are looking forward to LYRIQ’s NVH.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.