Release of Ideal L9 on June 21st, 2022
Author: Xiaodong Xu
Editor: Chris
After much anticipation, Ideal L9 was officially released on June 21st, 2022 at 8pm, after being delayed for two months due to the pandemic. As the flagship model under Ideal Auto, how will L9 define “building cars for families”? Check out the static experience video on the star-like channel.
Like Ideal ONE, Ideal L9 also adopts a unified price system of RMB 459,800, with optional electric pedals priced at RMB 10,000 and optional blue, green, and purple colors also priced at RMB 10,000. See the various rights and benefits in the following figure.
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I’m sure you’ve seen countless renderings of Ideal L9, so I’m providing you with 360° high-definition live-action photos.
Compared with Ideal ONE, which one do you prefer? Check the comment section.
L9 is positioned as a full-size SUV, with a length, width, and height of 5218 * 1998 * 1800 mm respectively, and a wheelbase of up to 3105 mm. It is understood that Ideal L9 has also taken various factors such as domestic road conditions into consideration in terms of body size. For example, L9 has worked hard to control the vehicle’s width within 2000 mm and height within 1800 mm, making it more convenient for parking and passing through narrow roads. If you can’t get a sense of the size of Ideal L9 from the data, take a look at this comparison chart.
The 3105mm wheelbase also brings tremendous improvement to the interior space, especially for the six-seater model like Ideal L9, where the third-row seating experience is the most challenging to conquer. The 2021 Model Ideal ONE carved out 41mm of space for the third row without affecting the second row and trunk capacity. In contrast, the wheelbase of Ideal L9 is a full 170mm longer than that of Ideal ONE. Based on the actual experience of video reviewer, Ideal L9’s third-row seating comfort is better than most mainstream 6-seater SUVs, even accommodating an adult, big-sized man with ease.
In addition, all the six seats in Ideal L9 are equipped with electric adjustment and seat heating. The first two rows of four independent seats support seat ventilation and 10-point massage, while Nappa leather and 3D comfort sponge filling effectively improve the comfort of the seats. Together with the car’s independent 6-audio-zone voice control, every passenger in each row can use the voice assistant elegantly and comfortably, without straining their voices, to achieve a better driving experience.
As for the interior design, Ideal L9 is full of creativity.
Firstly, the TouchBar steering wheel, officially named the “Safe Driving Interactive Screen,” is added.
This Safe Driving Interactive Screen adopts a mini-LED material and can display driving-related information, such as speed, battery range, navigation, and even interactive information about intelligent driving. It is believed that Ideal will add more convenient functions through later OTA updates. However, false touches may occur when first using Ideal L9.# HUD-equipped IDEAL L9 Provides Better Driving Visibility
The dashboard of IDEAL L9 has been removed to improve driving visibility, and the information is now displayed on the Head-up Display (HUD). The information displayed on the IDEAL L9 HUD is very comprehensive. From the image below, it can be seen that map navigation, intelligent driving perception information visualization, and basic dashboard functions such as speedometer, gear position, and turn signals are all present. In addition, the small screen on the steering wheel also redundantly displays key driving information. The clarity of the display under strong light is also outstanding. (The figure below shows the actual shooting material of a HUD class star channel, not actual driving information.)
In addition, there are some redundancies and even triple repetitions of driving information on the safety driving interactive screen, HUD, and central control screen. However, as time goes by, IDEAL is expected to balance the display of these three pieces of information even further, and we look forward to sharing relevant experiences with everyone after actual test driving in the future.
Secondly, the central control screen and the co-pilot screen of IDEAL L9 are composed of two 15.7-inch 3K OLED screens. As a reference, the size of the Model 3/Y central control screen of Tesla is 15.4 inches, with a resolution of 1920 * 1200. If you have experienced Model 3/Y, you can consider the two screens of IDEAL L9 to be slightly larger and with better clarity and color gamut.
The black border between the two screens has been reduced, making the overall visual effect more compact. If we use a counter-example, it should be something like this:
The IDEAL L9 cockpit chip comes standard with two 8155 chips, 24 GB of memory, and 256 GB of storage space, and supports dual 5G networks. There is no need to worry about the smoothness of the car’s equipment since the combination of two 8155 chips also provides a basic guarantee for the future upgrade of the cockpit for some time.
IDEAL L9 also adopts a new UI design. The upper left corner displays some vehicle information, the left side is the first-level menu bar, and the bottom is the commonly used vehicle control functions. The main screen is split into six large card-style UIs, with the home page displaying driving status, map, weather, music, and other information. The co-pilot screen uses a bottom menu bar similar to Mac OS for quick application switching.
Here comes the second row with a keyword “family”. The central area of this row employs a 15.7-inch screen with the same hardware quality as the front row, except that it is foldable.
The design of the second-row entertainment screen also reflects the ideal understanding of “family”. The middle layout is convenient for both the second and third rows to share. Additionally, this screen’s interaction capabilities must also meet the needs of the second and third-row passengers. It is not difficult to understand why L9 sets up the 6-audio-zone function.
In addition to voice control, this screen can also be controlled by gestures. Through the 3D ToF perception element behind the rear screen, it can recognize different gestures to achieve almost all control operations such as sliding, clicking, playing/pausing, and volume control. However, there is a certain learning cost.
Furthermore, 3D ToF can also be combined with voice interaction to achieve technically multi-mode and more natural interactive forms. For example, if a passenger sitting in the second row points to the left window and says “Open this,” as long as the voice and 3D ToF respond at the same time, the left window will be lowered. This kind of voice interaction form that does not need to “name” specific functions is undoubtedly more natural and friendly.
However, due to the limited development time, the currently available gesture recognition still has a certain probability of misrecognition, and the interaction efficiency has great room for improvement.
Entertainment interaction is not only limited to these features. The ideal L9 second row is equipped with Type-C, 220V power supply, and HDMI conversion cable. Gaming consoles such as Switch, XBOX, and PS are naturally not a problem. With the evolution of VR technology in the future, L9’s cockpit entertainment capabilities will continue to iterate.
Regarding mechanical quality, the ideal L9 has also achieved the level that this class should have.
The suspension adopts the front double-wishbone and rear five-link structure, with the addition of air springs and CDC shock absorbers. The only goal is comfort. The positioning and movement of the ideal L9 may have nothing to do with each other. The addition of air suspension makes getting on and off and putting luggage easier. The Ideal official also offers an electric pedal accessory option for the L9.
Non-sporty tuning does not mean weak power. The ideal L9 uses front and rear dual permanent magnet motors with a maximum power of 330 kW and a maximum torque of 620 N·m, with a zero to 100 km/h acceleration in 5.3 seconds. As a full-size SUV, this acceleration performance is indeed impressive.
As a range-extended model, the ideal L9 uses a brand new range-extending system independently developed by Ideal. The range extender is developed and produced by Xindayang Power, a joint venture company of Ideal Automotive Holdings. The new range extender is a 1.5 T four-cylinder range extender with a maximum power of 113 kW and a maximum thermal efficiency of 40.5%. In theory, compared with the 1.2 T three-cylinder range extender from EA, it will have better performance and NVH control.
The range extender’s higher thermal efficiency and more optimized range-extending system also lead to better performance in L9’s endurance. The ideal L9 has a battery capacity of 44.5 kWh and an available capacity of 39.2 kWh, with a pure electric range of 180 km under the WLTC cycle. According to the data of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the fuel consumption when running out of electricity is 7.8 L/100 km. The 2021 Ideal ONE’s fuel consumption is 8.6 L/100 km, which means that the full-size L9 has lower energy consumption than the Ideal ONE.
Low fuel consumption is the result of various efforts, including higher thermal efficiency, wind resistance design (closed front face + hidden door handles), tires, weight reduction, and highly integrated powertrain systems. Lower fuel consumption still has a considerable impact on long-term vehicle operating costs, especially considering the current exaggerated fuel prices.
Finally, let’s talk about the AD Max (Intelligent Driving) of the Ideal L9. First, let’s look at the hardware:
- One Velodyne AT128 LiDAR, with a point cloud count of 1.53 million/second;
- Four 2-megapixel surround view cameras;
- Six 8-megapixel and one 2-megapixel (rear-facing) perception cameras;
- Two Orin-X chips providing 508 Tops computing power (redundant to each other);
- Five intelligent driving auxiliary lights.
The above hardware data may have become commonplace in flagship models in 2022. However, what are these five intelligent driving auxiliary lights? And where are they placed?
Aside from the intelligent driving auxiliary light displayed at the rear, the other four are located on both sides of the starry halo headlights and below the headlights. Its function is to transmit information to other traffic participants when the vehicle’s intelligent driving function is activated. However, there are currently no clear regulations in China, and very few people know about the intelligent driving auxiliary light. Its main significance lies in promoting the trend of intelligent driving towards greater standardization.
The two 8 million pixel cameras in front of L9 can achieve 120-degree panoramic coverage and recognize vehicles, pedestrians, and objects within 550 meters at the farthest. In conjunction with the 128-line lidar, it can improve the accuracy of perception of the surrounding environment, such as stationary vehicles, construction roadblocks, etc. With the current hardware foundation of the L9, it is fully capable of urban intelligent driving. The efficiency of the in-house algorithm developed by the Ideal software department remains to be seen, but looking at the efficiency of the NOA iteration of the 2021 Ideal ONE, this day is not too far away.
What I think is better about the Ideal L9 is its brand-new capacitive steering wheel and fatigue and attention reminder system. If you frequently use intelligent driving, you will find a very annoying problem, which is that the vehicle will constantly remind you. The solution for most manufacturers is to use slight turning of the steering wheel, i.e., the wheel speed sensor. With the capacitive steering wheel, you only need to place your hands on the steering wheel, avoiding unnecessary movements to improve safety and upgrade the driving experience.
The Ideal official stated that the Ideal L9 created an intelligent driving interaction system to make intelligent driving safer and more convenient. What will the safe driving interactive screen under intelligent driving look like? The UI design and visualization of the central control screen will also be a focus subject, hoping that the Ideal will give a satisfactory answer.
In my opinion, the Ideal L9 has covered six aspects: space, power, cabin, endurance, comfort, and intelligent driving. All of them are above the mainstream level, but there are far more selling points to this car. One of the reasons why Ideal ONE can become a best-seller is that it has accurately positioned itself and polished the details, which is also true for the Ideal L9.
Details determine success or failure.The positioning of Li Xiang L9 by Li Xiang is “Family Intelligent Flagship SUV.” The first keyword is “family.” Li Xiang L9 is obviously an extension of “family,” and what efforts have been made in detail refinement? Or how does Li Xiang express its product philosophy for “family”?
Several points are mentioned in the previous text, such as all 6 seats support seat heating and electric adjustment, the position selection of the second-row entertainment screen and the entire car’s independent 6 sound zones, and so on.
More details are the multi-functional area of the central armrest, which not only adds physical buttons for easy operation but also has two 60W Type-C ports below, making it perfect for office scenarios. Below is a “refrigerator,” which not only refrigerates but also keeps warm.
Specifically, the capacity of this small refrigerator reaches 8.8L, supporting cooling adjustment from minus 7° to 0° and heat preservation adjustment from 35° to 50°, making it a must-have item for dads to heat up milk. In addition, it also supports power-off heat preservation for up to 24 hours after the refrigerator is turned off.
For higher-frequency use scenarios in the second row, L9 has added electric leg rests and folding small table boards to the right seat, which can be used for storing items, office work, making milk powder, or changing diapers. There is also a mobile phone storage compartment next to the seat. K song function naturally cannot be missed, Li Xiang L9 is equipped with 21 speakers, and a 7.3.4 Dolby panoramic sound system with a maximum power of 2160W, believing that the little buddies who have watched the video already know the strength of this sound system.
The third row has everything from air outlets, armrests to lighting. In addition to the flat seat button, the trunk is also equipped with a one-click adjustable air suspension height function, which is more convenient for carrying large items with a lower vehicle posture.
In addition, the ideal L9 external power output power is set to 3.5 kW, which is significantly higher than the 2.2 kW of the 2021 ideal ONE and can meet the needs of most outdoor activities. Today’s camping theme is very popular, and the external power function is the best support for camping scenes. Moreover, the ideal L9 also comes with a 65-liter fuel tank.
These are some external details we can see, and there are others that need to be considered from the beginning of product design, such as the ideal L9’s independently developed central domain controller. Many people may not know what a domain controller is.
Simply put, there are a lot of chips required in a car, with thousands in modern intelligent cars. Chips are needed to control the safety airbags, ABS, electric power steering, entertainment systems, electric control, and even intelligent driving. It can be said that in the era of intelligence and interconnection, smart cars cannot do without chips. The current shortage of chips that is often mentioned has led to production difficulties.
The large number of chips has also made the previously distributed electronic and electrical architecture unbearable, and the electronic and electrical architecture has evolved from distributed to centralized. The domain controller serves as the core of each functional domain, including processors, operating systems, applications, and algorithms. The biggest advantage is high integration. Take the ideal L9’s central domain controller as an example, it can realize self-research of functions including the extended-range electric system, air conditioning system, chassis system, and seat control system.
For example, there is a nap mode. Although many cars have nap modes, the experience is very different. Because the air conditioning system and seat control system are connected, when the nap mode is turned on, the ideal L9 can support multiple people to nap at the same time, adjust the air conditioning wind speed, coordinate the movement of multiple seats, lift the second-row footrests, and remind users with music, etc.
More importantly, the ideal has self-research ability and can carry out rapid OTA for more scenarios inside the car to meet user’s needs.
When the ideal is based on 170,000 users (as of now), standing on the shoulders of the successful ideal ONE and coupled with a significant expansion of talent, R&D, and financial advantages since its market launch, ideal L9’s “explosion model” has become a highly determined and achievable project.
If we seek differences in the general consensus of the “ideal L9 explosion model,” it may be that the ideal car’s confidence in the product conflicts with the current situation of the entire full-size SUV market. Li Xiang has announced that L9 will achieve sales of over 10,000 vehicles in September—this is probably the model with the fastest monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units during the new car production capacity climbing phase. But the more interesting question is whether 10,000 units per month is the sales ceiling for the L9?如果是，10000 辆/月会贯穿整个产品周期吗？如果不是，Ta 的天花板在哪里？
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.