Author: Zhang Yi
On June 21st, Ideal Automobile officially released an intelligent flagship SUV, the Ideal L9, designed for families.
During the live show, Li Xiang introduced how L9 can meet the needs of a family from 5 aspects, and demonstrated how this car looks more like a “walking home” by showing the extended power information, the flagship-level space and comfortable experience of the whole vehicle, and the application of intelligent technology.
Before the press conference, Li Xiang introduced to us the mission of Ideal L9, “Extended range, in other words, to increase the happy mileage, and to accommodate a car for the whole family with the comfortable experience of electric seats for both the second and third rows, ensuring the safety of each passenger in the car, and it can achieve independence in any environment, improving the camping experience of the whole family.”
An industry vision – High-end and atmospheric understanding
As the first truly intelligent electric vehicle in the full-size SUV segment, Ideal L9 comes standard with four standard metallic paints: gold, silver, gray, and black.
In terms of appearance, the car’s through-lined star rings, which are equivalent to the star ring taillights, elevate the Ideal L9 to a new level. The length of the new star ring headlights is over 2 meters without any breakpoints, which makes the industry’s leading uniformity, continuity, and softness color temperature.
Ideal L9’s body side does not use too many complicated lines, but instead combines star-ring taillights with hidden door handles, and a variable air intake grille that can effectively reduce the high-speed wind resistance of the vehicle, giving the family a strong sense of security.
Li Xiang stated that Ideal Automobile spent two years to overcome the relevant technical difficulties to achieve the effect of being able to recognize Ideal L9 from 100 meters away without seeing the logo.
Intelligent space cabin like outer space – equipped comprehensivelyThe ideal L9’s interior space is the most “luxury” aspect, with body dimensions of 5218mm in length, 1998mm in width, 1800mm in height, and a wheelbase of 3105mm, equipped with a 3-row, 6-seat layout, all with electric seats and seat heating. The first and second-row seats also have lateral heating, seat ventilation, and SPA-level ten-point massage functions, combined with comfortable soft headrests, providing each family member with relief from travel fatigue, even stronger than the Toyota Alphard.
To make some details perfect, the Ideal L9 is equipped with silent electric suction doors as standard to create a comfortable rest environment for the elderly and children; the intelligent air suspension can automatically lower the body when parking, making it easier for the elderly and children to get on and off the car. It is worth mentioning that the second-row seats in the car are equipped with a small table and a car refrigerator, which can be used as a “mobile home” even when traveling with children or going on a picnic.
Five-screen 3D spatial interaction experience – comprehensive system upgrade
Of course, having a large space alone is not enough to impress consumers, and intelligent configuration is the real reason why the Ideal L9 is truly internally strong.
According to Li Xiang’s introduction at the scene, the Ideal L9’s innovative five-screen 3D spatial interaction did not compromise or make concessions on any level but elevated the vehicle’s intelligence and entertainment to a new height.
Through the combination of the HUD head-up display system and the safety driving interactive screen, which can be directly projected in front of the driver, coupled with the safety driving interactive screen and two top-level 15.7-inch OLED screens using Mini-LED and multi-touch technology located above the steering wheel, the co-pilot’s enjoyment is also increased.
In terms of perception ability, the Ideal AD Max is equipped with one forward-facing 128-line lidar, six 8 million-pixel cameras, and five 2 million-pixel cameras. Under the fusion perception system, the vehicle has better long-range, wider, and clearer sensing capabilities. It can be seen that compared to its predecessor, the Ideal ONE, with an 8M monocular camera, 12 ultrasonic radars, 2 horizon journey 3 automatic driving chips, 4 surround-view cameras, and 5 millimeter-wave radars, the Ideal L9 has undergone comprehensive upgrades.
Fully self-developed range extender system – switching from 4 cylinders to 3 cylinders
The Ideal L9 uses a flagship range extender electric system and chassis system, equipped with the country’s first four-wheel drive range extender electric system, which can achieve a maximum power of 330kW, a peak torque of 620N.m, and a zero to one hundred acceleration in 5.3 seconds.
Regarding the range, the Ideal L9 uses a new generation of ternary lithium battery pack with a capacity of 44.5 kWh. The cruising range under the CLTC standard is 215 km, and the pure electric cruising range under the WLTC standard is 180 km. In addition, with the addition of the extended-range power generation system, the Ideal L9 is equipped with a self-developed and produced 1.5T four-cylinder range extender, with a thermal efficiency of up to 40.5%. The thermal oil consumption under the CLTC condition is as low as 5.9 liters / 100 km. The total cruising range under the CLTC condition reaches 1515 km, and the total cruising range under the WLTC condition is 1100 km.
Full of Safety – Self-Developed AEB System
“Are new energy vehicles safe?” is the most frequently asked question on Zhihu. The key to reducing fatality rates is to ensure the safety of the vehicle structure.
For smart electric vehicles, as long as the battery is not unnatural, there is no problem with combustion. As clever as Ideal, in terms of automotive safety, Li Xiang introduced us to the self-developed AEB system of Ideal, which has helped users avoid 100,000 collisions so far.
The Ideal L9 not only meets the highest safety of China New Car Assessment Program C-NCAP and China Insurance Automotive Safety Index C-IASI, but also formulates a higher level of brand safety standards.
The whole vehicle is equipped with double aluminum alloy anti-collision beams, which can effectively resolve the frontal impact force when a collision occurs. In order to prevent the phenomenon of battery self-ignition, the latest flame retardant materials and thermal runaway protection materials are used, and a dual protection design composed of side protection beams and aluminum alloy shells is equipped to effectively ensure the safety of the battery pack in harsh collisions.
For frequent accident scenarios, such as temporary roadblocks, road construction, close-range vehicle overtaking, and accidents, comprehensive optimization has been carried out to help drivers identify, brake and avoid as early as possible, and minimize the occurrence of accidents.
Let’s Hear from the Electric Power
With the entry of the Ideal L9, which is priced at 459,800 yuan, this live broadcast has also reached its climax. Founder Li Xiang is full of confidence, stating that “Ideal L9 will be officially delivered in August, and the delivery volume in September can exceed 10,000.” He even boasted, “Ideal L9 is the best family use smart SUV under 5 million yuan.”
In response, the barrage commented “Goodbye”, “Can not afford it”, “Sorry for the interruption”…
## Remembering Li Xiang’s Plan:
In February 2021, Li Xiang claimed that new energy vehicle will grow rapidly in the next decade. By 2025, Ideal will account for 20% of the market share and become China’s top intelligent electric car enterprise. Compared with NIO’s six models (ES8/ES6/EC6/ET7/ET5/ES7) and XPeng’s four (G3/P7/P5/G9), Ideal’s product layout has been relatively monotonous. It has always been in competition with new forces using its Ideal ONE model.
Li Xiang understood that the shackles brought by a single model could not be avoided, so expanding the product line became a top priority. Cost and pricing are important factors that determine gross profit margin, and mid-range and high-end models determine the volume of car sales. Li Xiang has stated that with Ideal L9, it aims to explore the target market resulting in 200-300,000 mainstream consumer market that will launch a medium-sized pure electric model. Ideal Auto has also made clear plans for high-end pure electric vehicles. Even before that, it had already submitted a prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, stating that from 2023 onwards, it plans to launch at least two high-end pure EV models annually.
From Ideal Auto’s current market performance, the Ideal ONE with a price of CNY 349,800 is positioned just right where it can compete against competitors at CNY 200-300,000, as well as mid-to-high-end SUVs around CNY 400-500,000.
As for whether the Ideal L9 can reach the same height as the Ideal ONE? On the communication meeting of June 22nd, Li Xiang stated that the sales volume of Ideal L9 would definitely exceed that of Ideal ONE.
According to media reports, Ideal L9 had over 10,000 orders on the night of its launch. According to the reporter of the “Electric Drive,” Ideal has signed a locked order agreement with a supplier with an annual order volume of 260,000.
It is difficult to forecast the future of Ideal L9. Perhaps unknowingly, we are witnessing the birth of an existence that breaks through the glass ceiling of domestic extended-range vehicles.
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.