The content of this article is sourced from 42how and has been translated by ChatGPT
Weekly Index
Weekly News
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology releases the latest vehicle announcement (Batch No. 353)
On February 11th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the latest batch of vehicle announcements, which include the following newly-launched pure electric vehicles:
- Mercedes-Benz EQE
- 4,969 x 1,906 x 1,509 mm;
- Curb weight of 2,375 kg;
- Maximum motor power of 215 kW;
- Tire size of 235/50 R19, with four wheel hub styles to choose from;
- According to Mercedes-Benz’s previous official information, EQE 350 will be equipped with a 90 kWh ternary lithium battery, and the WLTP range can reach 660 km.
- Ora Lightning Cat
- 4,871 x 1,862 x 1,500 mm;
- Wheelbase of 2,870 mm, total weight of 2,345 kg;
- Maximum speed of 170 km/h;
- Tire size of 225/50 R18, 235/45 R19;
- Honeycomb energy lithium iron phosphate battery pack, with a joint electronic 150 kW motor.
- Geometry Thunderbolt
- 4006 × 1,765 × 1,550 mm;
- Wheelbase of 2,485 mm;
- Maximum speed of 102 km/h;
- Tire size of 205/60 R16;
- Total weight of 1,590 kg, curb weight of 1,290 kg;
- CATL lithium iron phosphate battery pack, with a GREENTOWN 60 kW motor.
Pure electric multi-purpose vehicles include:
- Roewe iMAX8 EV
- 5,016 × 1,909 ×1,807/1,796 mm;
- Gross weight of 2,929 kg, maximum speed of 180 km/h;
- Wheelbase of 3,000 mm, tire specification of 225/60 R18;
- 7 seats including the driver;
- SAIC Times’ ternary lithium battery pack;
- Huayu rated power of 90 kW, peak power of 180 kW and driving motor.
- Xpeng P5
- 4,725 × 1,925 × 1676 mm;
- Wheelbase of 2,780 mm, 235/60 R18;
- Curb weight of 1,985 kg, gross weight of 2,380 kg;
- CATL lithium iron phosphate battery cells;
- Peak power of 150 kW, rated power of 60 kW.
Quick Comment:
Xpeng continues to adhere to the cute feline design language and has been dubbed “Palamela Cat” by netizens; the big-mouthed design of Roewe iMAX8 EV inevitably reminds people of the Toyota Alphard; Xpeng Motors had a difficult 2021, and Xpeng P5 reappeared in the MIIT announcement, and earlier in January, the official video of Xpeng P5’s factory roll-off was released, showing that Xpeng is getting closer to us.
Relatively speaking, the most anticipated car in this announcement is the Mercedes-Benz EQE. As we expected, there will be no longer version of the EQE L, as the wheelbase of the EQE has already reached 3,120 mm, while the wheelbase of the long-wheelbase E-Class currently on sale is only 3,079 mm, which means that the EQE’s entry-level is also the “long-wheelbase” version.
Qualcomm and Ferrari Announce Strategic Technology Collaboration
On February 9th, Qualcomm Technologies and Ferrari announced a strategic technology collaboration to help accelerate Ferrari’s digital transformation. Qualcomm Technologies will become the system solution provider for Ferrari’s upcoming Ferrari car, as well as a partner of the Ferrari Formula One team and the Ferrari Esports team.
Ferrari and Qualcomm are collaborating to bring the latest automotive technology to Ferrari cars using Snapdragon® Digital Chassis™.
Quick take:
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon digital chassis is comprised of an open and extensible cloud-connected platform that supports next-generation cars, including in-car connectivity and connected technology, digital cabins, and advanced driver assistance systems. Unified architecture brings higher security and immersive digital experiences and supports functionality upgrades for cars throughout their lifecycle. Through this cooperation, Qualcomm Technologies and its partners will also design, develop and integrate Ferrari’s digital cabin.
Biden finally learns to say “Tesla”
On the afternoon of February 8, 2022, US President Biden intentionally mentioned “Tesla — the largest electric car manufacturer in the United States” in a speech, which may be an active show of goodwill to Tesla fans who have been “frequent”.
There has been a “dimensional wall” between the Biden government and Tesla. Biden and his administration have been avoiding mentioning Tesla.
From ignoring Tesla during the White House’s New Energy Vehicle Summit in August last year, to the subsequent introduction of a tax credit of $4,500 for new energy vehicles produced by unionized factories, and then Biden’s praise for GM and Ford’s contributions in electric vehicle production, the “feud” between the Biden government and Tesla has grown deeper.
Until February, Tesla fans purchased advertisements in Times Square in an effort to “teach” Biden how to say the word “Tesla”, and other fans launched a petition on a website requesting that Biden recognize Tesla’s leadership in the new energy vehicle field, receiving nearly 60,000 signatures.
As the situation got more heated, Biden couldn’t just sit idly by and finally “bowed to” the pressure by mentioning Tesla in his speech and calling it “the largest electric car manufacturer in the United States”.
Quick take:
Watching the commotion is better than nothing. The interaction between Tesla fans and Biden is back and forth and could be considered a gossip novel. Parties, interest groups, and other factors are involved, and only the parties involved can sort out the details.
Sony’s AI beats human world champion racers in video game
On February 10th, Sony released the artificial intelligence driver GT Sophy, which defeated human champion racers in Sony’s 3A game Gran Turismo.
The achievement has also made it to the cover of Nature magazine, which is a great promotion for the soon-to-be-launched Gran Turismo 7 on the PlayStation platform. Gran Turismo, being a game that pursues highly realistic operations, is not just for entertainment. GT Sophy’s ability to defeat human drivers should not be underestimated.
Sony used a deep learning method called QR-SAC, where the AI is rewarded or punished based on their performance during training. GT Sophy learned how to drive on the track in just a few hours through this method.
Sony’s researchers pointed out that GT Sophy does have some advantages over human players, such as accurate map information with track boundary coordinates and accurate information about tire load, tire sliding angle, and other vehicle statuses.
Quick Review:
To make the competition fairer, researchers added a delay of 100ms, 200ms, and 250ms to GT Sophy’s reaction time. However, the results were still impressive. In the competition, GT Sophy defeated several world-class drivers, such as the 2021 TGR GT Cup champion, the 2020 National Cup World Champion, the 2021 runner-up, and the 2018 National Cup Asia/Oceania Champion.
Considering Sony’s recent announcement of establishing an electric car company, this news becomes even more interesting. Can the automatic driving technology in racing games be applied to real vehicles? Chris Gerdes, an automobile professor at Stanford University, stated that GT Sophy’s achievement proves that there is a wide prospect for the use of neural networks in automatic driving in the future.
Xpeng’s first direct experience store in Europe officially opens in Stockholm, Sweden
Xpeng announced last week the opening of its first direct experience store in Europe in Stockholm, Sweden. The store is located in Westfield Mall of Scandinavia, the largest commercial complex in the Nordic region.
In addition, Xpeng announced strategic cooperation agreements with the Dutch Emil Frey NV Group and the Swedish Bilia Group, both automotive dealer groups. In the future, Xpeng will use a “direct experience + authorized” retail model in the European market. Direct experience stores in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway will also be built soon.
Quick Review:Previously, Xpeng Motors has gained operational experience in sales, delivery, and service in Norway. Xpeng Motors also established its European headquarters in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, in early February 2021, and established offices in Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.
As of the end of January 2022, Xpeng Motors has delivered over 150,000 vehicles. In the future, the Xpeng G9, which made its debut at the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show, will also enter the European market.
With the gradual emergence of the competitiveness of domestically produced electric vehicles, it is believed that more and more domestically produced electric vehicle brands will choose to expand overseas.
Zeekrnge 001 welcomes the 1.1.1 update
This update involves as many as 34 whole-vehicle ECU units and adds up to 25 new energy and new configuration functions, including the automatic window locking, seat memory active interaction, and electric door manual control switching. In the new version, the official optimized the electric door manual switch and the vehicle machine function that users have been most concerned about before. The upgraded vehicle machine experience will be significantly improved, and the use of electric doors will be smoother.
Quick Comment:
It is worth noting that Zeekrnge Motors will also launch the ZEEKR OS 2.0 Beta version, which includes the ZAD Zeekrnge intelligent driving assist system. This version will be pushed to OTA Pioneer experience officers after February 15th, and will be tested by OTA Pioneer experience officers first to assist Zeekrnge Motors in completing the optimization work of this version. After the optimization is completed, this version will be pushed to users after the ZEEKR OS 1.1.1 version is pushed to completion.