Author: Tian Hui
This may be the batch of new cars with the most explosion models.
Tesla Model Y Standard Range Upgrade (LFP Battery Edition), BYD Yuan PLUS EV, Lynk & Co Zero Concept, SAIC-GM-Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, and Geely Ji Ke 001 different configuration models all appeared in this batch of car announcements.
On July 13th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the new cars declared in the 346th batch of “Road Motor Vehicle Production Enterprises and Products Announcement”.
In the 346th batch announcement, a total of 335 new energy vehicles were announced, including 58 new energy passenger cars, of which there were 51 pure electric vehicles, 4 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and 3 swappable battery electric vehicles.
One feature of this batch of car announcements is that although some car companies’ declared models are debuting for the first time, they have already started pre-sales in the market.
Along with the renovation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s car announcement and declaration system, the “Catalogue of Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicles Eligible for Vehicle and Vessel Tax Exemption (Twenty-ninth Batch) to Enjoy Tax Exemption” was announced at the same time as the 346th batch of new car announcements.
In the “Catalogue of Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicles Eligible for Vehicle and Vessel Tax Exemption”, the pure electric range of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle models in the previous batch of new car announcements was exposed. Among them, the Changan UNI-K PHEV has a pure electric range of 130km, which refreshes the pure electric range record of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (excluding range extender).
Tesla and BYD Declare New Cars with LFP Batteries
The Tesla Model Y Standard Range Upgrade, which uses LFP batteries, is undoubtedly the most eye-catching model in this batch of new car announcements.
Before this batch of announcements was released, Tesla had already released the Model Y Standard Range Upgrade and opened pre-sales at a subsidized price of 276,000 yuan.
Although there were many speculations that the Model Y Standard Range Upgrade would use LFP batteries, Tesla officials did not give a positive response. For the first time, the LFP battery version of the Model Y that appeared in this batch of new car announcements confirmed the media’s speculation.Due to Tesla’s delivery schedule set in August, it is not surprising that Model Y Standard Range Upgrade version will be included in the 346th batch of new car announcements in July. However, what is surprising is that Tesla has applied for two different motor power versions for the Model Y Standard Range Upgrade version in this batch of announcements.
From the specifications, the Model Y Standard Range Upgrade version with different motor power uses lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the core parameters such as curb weight, length, and wheelbase are the same. The only difference is that:
The Model Y with the model number TSL6480BEVAR0 uses a drivetrain produced in the Shanghai factory with a power of 220kW.
The Model Y with the model number TSL6480BEVAR1 uses an imported drivetrain with a power of 202kW.
After Tesla localized the production of the drivetrain, it is unexpected that Model Y will apply for two different motor version models simultaneously. However, this is not unprecedented in the history of car announcements. There have been several fuel-powered cars that have declared both imported and domestic engines for sale to make up for the insufficient production capacity of domestic engine production lines. Tesla’s situation with the Model Y may be similar to this.
For consumers, both of Tesla’s motors can ensure consistency in vehicle performance, and there is no need to worry about differences in the configuration.
In this batch of announcements, BYD declared the Yuan Plus EV.
As a successor model to the popular car Yuan EV, Yuan Plus EV does not inherit the appearance style of Yuan EV but adopts BYD’s latest DragonFace pure electric vehicle design language, equipped with a fully enclosed front air intake grille, as well as matte chrome metal trim, and the overall style is similar to the family flagship car Han EV.
The family car style of the BYD Yuan PLUS EV is more prominent than that of the Yuan EV, and it does not inherit the small backpack design of the Yuan EV. Instead, it adopts the iconic through-type daytime driving design of the BYD pure electric vehicle family, which is also similar to the latest EA1 Dolphin model launched by BYD.
The optional configuration of the Yuan PLUS EV is quite rich. It can be equipped with different types of sunroofs, front and rear parking radars, and wheels of different colors. At the same time, the car can also be equipped with different decorative lines around the body, which adds more sporty feeling to the whole car.
From the parameters announced this time, the length of the Yuan PLUS EV is 4455mm, the wheelbase is 2720mm, and the wheelbase length ratio exceeds 61%. The car is equipped with two kinds of wheels, 17 inches and 18 inches.
The power battery of this car is provided by Guiyang Fudi Battery Co. Ltd., and the lithium iron phosphate blade battery pack is assembled by Changsha Fudi Battery Co. Ltd. In terms of power, the Yuan PLUS EV adopts a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a rated power of 65kW and a peak power of 150kW.
It is reported that the Yuan PLUS EV model is expected to be launched in September and will be sold on the BYD Dynasty website.
In this batch of announcements, Lingpai Motors first applied for the C11 model.
The front of the Lingpai C11 adopts the through-type daytime running lights and fully enclosed grille design, both of which are mainstream design styles of electric cars.
In the rear, the Lingpai C11 also adopts the popular through-type taillight plus letter LOGO design style.
The length of the Lingpai C11 is 4750mm, the width is 1905mm, the height is 1675mm, and the wheelbase is 2930mm. It is a compact SUV with a wheelbase at the intermediate level, so the interior space should have a good performance.In terms of power, the Zeekr C11 is equipped with a drive motor with a rated power of 64kW and a peak power of 200kW. The power battery is a ternary lithium battery cell provided by CATL and packaged by Zeekr Auto itself.
The Zeekr C11 is a model that has already started pre-sale, and is expected to begin delivery in October this year. After the new car announcement this month, obstacles to delivery will be cleared.
In the announcement of the 346th batch of new cars, GAC Aion declared three models – Aion V, Aion S Plus and Aion Y – with the iron phosphate lithium battery version.
From the declaration information, the power battery of the iron phosphate lithium battery version of the Aion V and Aion S Plus models is provided by CATL, while the Aion Y model is provided by Times New Energy Technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.
From the supplier situation, the Aion V and Aion S Plus models may use GAC Aion’s latest research and development of the magazine-type battery models.
Xpeng Motors declared the Xpeng G3i in this batch of announcements.
The vehicle is currently available for pre-sale, and this model, which is put on the market first and declared later, is more common in this catalog, including the Tesla Model Y, Zeekr C11, Xpeng G3i, and Zeekr 001.
Putting cars on the market first and declaring them later has become a sign of new energy vehicle companies launching new cars.
In this batch of announcements, SAIC-GM-Wuling also declared different versions of Hong Guang MINI EV, NANO EV and other models, Geely declared different versions of Zeekr 001, and Great Wall declared Eulerr Cherry Cat, and other models.
Little innovation in battery swapping and plug-in hybrid vehicles
There are not many new battery-swapping pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles in this batch of announcements.
Chery’s Jetour brand launched the Jetour battery-swapping version in this batch of new car announcements.
Regarding the choice of power battery, Jetour FS8 adopts a three-element lithium power battery, with the production enterprise being Zhengzhou Bik Battery Co., Ltd. and the packaging enterprise being Shanghai Dingyao New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
Different from other car companies that focus on pure electric sedans as a breakthrough for battery swapping, Jetour’s first battery swapping car is an SUV model, which poses new challenges for future battery swapping operations.# Dongfeng Group Launches Electric Vehicles under Junfeng and Qichen Brands Equipped with Lithium-Iron-Phosphate Batteries
Dongfeng Group has launched electric vehicles with battery swapping systems under the Junfeng and Qichen brands. Both vehicles are equipped with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, but from different suppliers.
The electric vehicle declared by Dongfeng Group is based on the Qichen D60 model, which is equipped with a three-electric system. The vehicle is over 4.7 meters in length with a wheelbase of 2.7 meters and powered by a 120kW permanent magnet synchronous motor.
In terms of plug-in hybrid vehicles, Geely, BYD, and Buick have declared a total of 4 plug-in hybrid vehicles, among which Geely’s Xingyue ePro model is a newly declared vehicle.
The Xingyue ePro is an SUV model with coupe styling, a length of 4605mm, and a wheelbase of 2700mm. The Geely Xingyue ePro adopts a plug-in hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.5T turbocharged engine and an electric motor. This PHEV system has been applied to several Geely models.
In the 346th batch of new car announcements, most of the passenger vehicles use lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.
Out of the total 58 passenger vehicles announced, 28 vehicles use lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, including high-priced models such as Tesla Model Y and BYD Tang EV. Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries are more widely used in passenger vehicles priced between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan. Models such as BYD Yuan PLUS EV, GAC Aion V/S Plus/Y, and XPeng G3i all adopt lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. This shows that lithium-iron-phosphate battery technology is gradually spreading from lower-priced models to higher-priced ones.
In this batch of announcements, the Ora brand under Great Wall Motors has declared vehicles equipped with cobalt-free batteries for the first time.The Cherry Cat model declared by Great Wall Euler adopts cobalt-free lithium-ion batteries provided by Honeycomb Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
In this batch announcement, Great Wall Euler also declared another version of the Cherry Cat model, which is built on the basis of lithium iron phosphate power battery.
The power battery manufacturer of the Cherry Cat model with the lithium iron phosphate battery version is also Honeycomb Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
There is a difference in the kerb weight between the two versions of the Cherry Cat model with different power batteries. The kerb weight of the lithium iron phosphate battery version is 1800 or 1855kg, while that of the cobalt-free battery version is 1885kg. Therefore, it is expected that the two different versions of the Cherry Cat model will have differences in the range.
From the overall situation of the 346th batch of new car announcements, more models will be sold through pre-sales and then declarations in the future, and lithium iron phosphate batteries may be adopted by higher-priced models.
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.