Issue 10

Do you still remember when FEYVAN Motors caused a stir in the industry by announcing the RISING PILOT fully integrated advanced intelligent driving system? The topic of “the key to autonomous driving: hardware or software?” even made it to the top of the search list.

FEYVAN Motors demonstrated the system with the release of the FEYVAN R7 on September 27th. The “advanced intelligent pure electric SUV” has four models with prices ranging from RMB 289,900 to 356,900 after subsidies.

In addition, the FEYVAN R7 series supports battery swapping and electric vehicle separation, which means that the battery can be leased, resulting in a price reduction of up to RMB 100,000, with prices ranging from RMB 205,900 to 256,900.

After NIO, the FEYVAN R7 has become a new choice for C-end users.

In terms of exterior design, the FEYVAN R7 simplifies everything with a frameless door, a streamlined sloping roof, and hidden door handles, giving the FEYVAN R7 a more advanced definition.

FEYVAN’s new energy vehicles have always had a strong “gas to electricity” taste, one of the reasons why C-end users do not approve. However, the FEYVAN R7 looks stunning and doesn’t show any signs of “gas to electricity.”

In terms of size, the FEYVAN R7 is 4900mm1925mm1655mm with a wheelbase of 2950mm and is positioned as an advanced intelligent pure electric SUV.

As a new intelligent electric vehicle brand, FEYVAN Motors’ CEO Wu Bing stated that new car manufacturing must achieve three things: solid technology, powerful integration, and extraordinary experience.

So, in the midst of the automotive industry’s electrification and electrification revolution, how does the FEYVAN R7 provide a more reliable intelligent experience and human-vehicle relationship?

Throughout the conference, Wu Bing used some practical usage scenarios to deepen consumers’ understanding of the FEYVAN R7’s core selling points. Among them, the RISING PILOT fully integrated advanced intelligent driving system installed in the FEYVAN R7 can be called “the king of the intelligent driving world.”This system’s biggest highlight is the inclusion of the first-ever mass-produced PREMIUM 4D imaging radar and 33 other top-level perception hardware components, including an 8-million-pixel high-definition camera that is rare in the industry.

Supported by the PREMIUM 4D imaging radar, the detection distance can reach 350m, producing a “point cloud” similar to a lidar. With the addition of Z-axis data, it can simultaneously detect distance, azimuth, height, and speed, replacing the role of the lidar, and improve recognition capabilities even in extreme weather conditions such as heavy rain, fog, and snow.

Although RisingAuto Motors did not provide specific computing power data and the number of lidars compared with XPENG G9 and WeRide is not outstanding, RisingAuto R7 is equipped with an industry-first “full-fusion perception solution.” Through full-fusion algorithms, it is equipped with two NVIDIA Orin X chips, a combination of four gigabit Ethernet ports and nine 100-megabit Ethernet ports, providing more accurate perception results, and playing a certain degree of differentiation with the advantages of simple logic, small communication bandwidth and fast computing speed through front-end fusion, back-end fusion, and hybrid fusion.

RisingAuto R7 is “rolled in” with intelligent driving and also “rolled in” with the intelligent cabin. In terms of intelligent cabin, the RISING PILOT included in RisingAuto R7 also provides users with the first self-adjustable MY PILOT function.

MY PILOT allows users to switch between various intelligent driving styles such as comfort, standard, and sport based on the vehicle’s actual usage environment, achieving a personalized intelligent driving experience through customized multi-dimensional parameters. For example, “Comfort” mode is suitable for users who prefer a smooth and comfortable ride without being in a hurry; “Sport” mode is suitable for shortening travel time by increasing acceleration and changing lanes while ensuring safety. “Standard” mode is the system’s default driving mode that balances comfort and efficiency.

It is worth mentioning that the three driving modes provided by RisingAuto R7 are concentrated in the Huawei Vision Enhancement AR-HUD flat-view system + 43-inch triple-screen. It not only has a maximum viewing angle of 13°x5° but also has more intuitive displays, including lane-level real-life navigation and real-time ADAS information.###

The complicated interface and slow operation have always been a major pain point for users. In order to solve this problem, the RisingAuto R7 RISING OS Smart Cockpit Interaction System uses “zero consideration” intuitive interactive design and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, allowing for more convenient and quick car operation.

In terms of power, the RisingAuto R7 offers two options: rear wheel drive and dual motor four wheel drive. The former has a maximum power of 350 kW, peak torque of 450N·m, and the latter has a maximum power of 400 kW, peak torque of 700N·m. The acceleration time of 0-60 mph is only 5.8/3.8 seconds, and multiple endurance versions are available. Under the CLTC endurance standard, the highest range can reach 642km.

Based on the new generation of 8-layer Hair-Pin motor with flat wire winding technology and direct cascade oil cooling technology, the RisingAuto R7 motor efficiency can reach up to 97%, which is about 50% higher than the constant power.

The battery exchange race is a fiercely competitive market segment in the new energy vehicle industry this year. Competitors such as NIO ES7, Avatar 11, and XPeng G9 have all entered this area. As the latecomer, RisingAuto R7 has created a complete battery exchange system from the aspects of three-electricity and energy supplementation.

The most critical part of battery exchange is the battery pack. The RisingAuto R7 uses a platform-based CTP battery with a unified 1690x1300mm battery length and width, covering a capacity of 50-130+kWh depending on the capacity thickness.

To address battery safety issues, the RisingAuto R7 also designed a five-level protection mechanism for fast-swapping batteries, including big data monitoring and prevention, immediate activation of maximum power cooling during the brewing period of thermal runaway, double-layer horizontally placed cells to avoid domino effect of thermal runaway, physical isolation with water-cooled plates and cross beams, and precise design of discharge channels for energy supplementation, in order to reduce the risk of physical fire and combustion accidents, and truly achieve a safe driving experience.

At the same time, in the field of whole vehicle design, RisingAuto R7 designed a high-strength aluminum alloy power battery bracket on the front subframe, which can withstand a maximum of 1300 megapascals of high-strength aluminum side beams, collision protection design, and other configurations.

If we say that the bond between the car and battery is the link, then the two ends of the connection are naturally the whole car and the battery exchange station.

Wu Bing emphasized the safety monitoring of the battery exchange station at the launch event, such as the BMS of the battery connected to the network of the battery exchange station, three-level alarm strategy, battery circulation traceability, monitoring, risk warning, etc.In terms of battery swapping efficiency, RisingAuto Motors’ battery swapping stations can store two types of batteries with a capacity of 77/90 kWh. Large battery swapping stations can store 15 batteries and small ones can store 10. Large stations can swap up to 220 times a day, while small stations can swap up to 144 times a day.

In terms of energy replenishment, SAIC, together with “Two Barrels of Oil” and CATL, have jointly invested in the establishment of Shanghai Jieneng Zhidian New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, and are fully committed to promoting the transformation of more than 50,000 national gas stations owned by “Sinopec” and “CNPC” into integrated energy service stations with both charging and swapping functions. According to the plan, Shanghai Jieneng Zhidian New Energy Technology Co., Ltd will invest in nearly 40 integrated service energy stations in 2022, and plans to build 300 in 2023 and nearly 3,000 in 2025.

At the same time, RisingAuto Motors has established a large charging network throughout the country, with 114 charging stations, 1,000+ equity charging stations, and more than 530,000 third-party charging piles.

For battery swapping modes, RisingAuto has provided specific solutions: the 90 kWh battery and the 77 kWh battery are discounted by 100,000 yuan and 84,000 yuan respectively, with monthly rents of 1,560 yuan and 1,260 yuan respectively.

“Ju” (meaning “trendy” or “popular”) has become an exhausted word this year, but it has to be said that RisingAuto R7’s intelligent configuration has pushed every parameter, from hardware to software, to the extreme.

In addition, the introduction of battery swapping has become another ace card for RisingAuto R7. For users who are concerned about battery safety, wear and tear, etc., and prefer swapping but do not have the budget to buy NIO cars, RisingAuto R7 is undoubtedly a good choice.

To survive in the automotive industry, “hard power” is always the king. Although RisingAuto Motors is not very experienced, with the backing of SAIC, it has planned a clear development strategy, allowing RisingAuto R7 to take the lead in layout of intelligent hardware and then break through with the battery swapping mode, using a “zero anxiety” swapping and replenishing ecological system, and striking every consumer’s pain point for smart and replenishment systems for electric vehicles.

In a sense, as an important carrier for SAIC to develop in the new energy field, RisingAuto Motors has officially opened up a “non-ordinary road” for RisingAuto R7 in the smart driving race. Of course, how this road will turn out remains to be seen over time.

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.