On January 31, SGMW launched its brand-new electric commercial vehicle — SGMW Yangguang, which is equipped with the Red No.1 battery specially developed by SGMW for commercial vehicles. Furthermore, SGMW communicated in advance with the media about some information about the Red No.1 battery and SGMW Yangguang.
Q1: What’s the difference between the Red No.1 battery and the previously launched Shenlian battery? Why not apply the Shenlian battery directly to commercial vehicles?
A1: The Red No.1 battery and the Shenlian battery were separately developed for commercial and passenger vehicles by SGMW for different use scenarios. The Red No.1 was developed specifically for new-energy commercial vehicles and SGMW will introduce more battery products from the “Red” series in the future, continuously improving the new-energy commercial vehicle product matrix based on core self-developed technologies. Their differences mainly lie in design divergences for commercial and passenger scenarios.
-
Difference in use scenarios: The Red No.1, born for new-energy commercial vehicles, is committed to satisfying commercial vehicle users’ requirements for large space, strong load capacity, and rapid long-distance charging, among other freight transport scenarios. It boasts the “Wending Ultra Durable Cell Technology” and “Feliu Super Intelligent Temperature Control System”, catering to commercial vehicle users’ needs for durability, rapid charging, and safety. The Shenlian battery, on the other hand, is dedicated to passenger vehicle travel, with a greater emphasis on the passenger vehicle users’ focus on the product’s range.
-
Advantage of the Red No.1 in the commercial vehicle field: The Red No.1 takes the lead among its peers in adopting liquid cooling technology to aid energy release from more cells. This ultra-thin battery, only 148mm in thickness, allows for more efficient space usage. The Wending’s three “Ultra-Durable” technologies, tested by steel-needle vertical piercing and internal high-temperature short-circuiting of the cells, eliminate traditional commercial vehicle battery pain points, disrupting the inertia of buying new-energy commercial vehicles based solely on battery brands and making technical strength the only criterion for measuring battery quality.
Q2: By 2024, the pressure in the new energy market will be greater, and competition will be fiercer than in 2023. What considerations, or market predictions, led to SGMW’s release of the Red No.1 battery and SGMW Yangguang at this point in time?
A2: SGMW is full of confidence in the field of new-energy commercial vehicles. While market competition is fierce, our confidence stems not only from the competitive technical strength of the Red No.1 battery but also from SGMW’s prior deployment and accumulation of new energy technologies and the company’s decade-long production and manufacturing experience in the commercial vehicle sector. Faced with the continuously changing commercial vehicle market, we always persist in producing what people need, leading product development from the user’s perspective. These are our strengths in the competition in the new energy sector.
-
Deep insight into users’ pain point needs: As a representative of the commercial vehicle sector, SGMW has several decades of vehicle-manufacturing experience and tens of millions of base users, standing as a symbol of reliability, pragmatism, and utility. Abiding by the principle that “SGMW manufactures whatever people need,” SGMW deeply perceives user needs; anxiety about range and recharging, battery safety, and purchase and usage costs continue to impact actual use by new-energy commercial vehicle users as the market penetration of new-energy commercial vehicles keeps climbing. To resolve these issues, SGMW launched the Red No.1 battery, designed specifically for new-energy commercial vehicles.2. Exceptional competitive technological strength: Wuling Hong 1 battery, equipped with a core system – Feiliu Ultra-smart Temperature Control System, and two leading technologies – MUST Ultra-thin Structure Technology and Wending Ultra-durable Battery Core Technology. Wuling Red 1 battery, with its long range, high safety, anti-attenuation, ultra-durability, addresses the users’ pain points, provides efficient battery solutions for new energy commercial vehicles, and leads the transformation and development of new energy in commercial vehicles. Wuling Yangguang, powered by Wuling Red 1 battery, brings users a faster, more energy-saving, and more reassuring car experience.
-
Advanced new energy layout. Relying on 8 academicians leading, we have established the first laboratory in the industry – Guangxi New Energy Vehicle Laboratory, combined with Wuling’s 15 years of solid technical foundation in the field of new energy, we have established a safety design system and product certification system far beyond the national standard from battery cell to whole battery.
Q 3: The first question is about Wuling Yangguang. In the niche market of new energy commercial vehicles, many products also talk about their expansibility, such as the definition of vehicle size and product specifications will be flexible. I would like to ask the leader to explain, besides the current shape of our car, will there be more flexibility in car types or cargo compartment modifications?
Second question, this year’s new energy commercial vehicle market competition is fierce, just mentioned a lot of competition, what do you think is Wuling’s biggest competitive advantage?
A 3: For the first question, before the official launch of Wuling Yangguang, we have conducted a lot of user cooperation experiences with JD Logistics, Huolala, etc. During the process, our driver friends gave us a lot of feedback. For different application scenarios, we will provide modification services for their box bodies. At the same time, we are currently studying the modification of the common gate car, and we will also officially launch the common gate car based on the modification of Wuling Yangguang in the future.
For the second question, the biggest competitive advantage of Wuling Yangguang is twofold, the first is based on our insight into users, Wuling has decades of commercial vehicle manufacturing experience, we have millions of users, so we can understand what users need when staying with them. This is also the biggest competitive advantage of Wuling Red 1 battery. The second advantage is the key technology just mentioned: one core system-Feiliu Ultra-smart Temperature Control System, and two leading technologies-MUST Ultra-thin Structure Technology and Wending Ultra-durable Battery Core Technology, meeting the most concerned battery demand of current new energy commercial vehicle users.
Q 4: The first question is, the recent hot selling of Wuling’s minivan Xingguang, indeed accelerated the popularization of hybrid models. I want to ask, considering the use scene of commercial vehicles, will Wuling launch plug-in, extended range commercial vehicle models in the future? Secondly, will more vehicle types in the commercial vehicle field be equipped with Wuling Red 1 batteries in the future, such as the future pure electric Hongguang, including Rongguang, Zhiguang and other models.
A 4: In the future, the commercial vehicle platform will continue to develop in an architectural manner. Wuling will definitely respond quickly if it is what the user needs. Whether to use plug-in and extended-range commercial vehicles, we still look at the needs of users, in the future will continue to understand user needs, and launch more products in line with user interests.1, Differentiated layout driven by market demand: As a company attentive to user needs, SGMW will persistently derive consumer insights to generate new products. Currently, the field of new energy commercial vehicles is booming, bearing diverse usage scenarios and user preferences. Plug-in hybrids and extended range vehicles distinctively differ from pure electric counterparts. SGMW will cater to the market share and user demands to plan future products, offering more high-quality, differentiated options to the consumers.
2, Policy-driven exchange wave: In 2023, the new energy commercial vehicle sales increased by 6.1% compared to the previous year, increasing penetration to 11.3%. In this year, a swath of supportive policies for new energy commercial vehicles were introduced. Concurrently, as the National Six B standard went into effect and National Four was phased out, a new wave of vehicle replacement began. SGMW introduced pure electric, plug-in hybrids, and extended range models in the current time window, aiming to meet the diverse needs of the replacement market, offering more options to its existing and potential tens of millions of customers.
The answer to the second question is yes. In the future, more models will be manufactured based on the BYD Red 1 battery.
Q 5: In 2023, China’s market was highly competitive, mainly focused around prices. The Yangguang model is in a price-sensitive range. After introducing a new battery and having an advantage in the overall vehicle size compared with the competitors, what is our pricing strategy?
A 5: From a market perspective, China’s new energy vehicle industry is now in a leading global position. The penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles has exceeded 30%. From the data of 2023, the sales of new energy commercial vehicles increased by 6.1% year on year, with a penetration rate of 11.3%. Driven by national policy, new energy commercial vehicles will usher in a new round of growth in 2024. The acceleration process of urban logistics distribution and other public vehicles moving to full electrification, along with new energy credits system and fuel consumption regulations, accelerate the commercial vehicle market’s transformation to new energy. Charge station coverage is increasing rapidly, significantly enhancing the charging convenience of new energy logistics. All these factors are favorable to our product promotion and application.
From a product perspective, as we mentioned earlier, SGMW is in a leading position in the traditional commercial vehicle field. As a new generation of extra-large space new energy commercial vehicle, not only do we possess several excellent product characteristics, but we also accurately adapt to the user’s needs in the new era. With such a spectacular product amidst such market opportunities, we aim to meet consumer needs accurately and become popularizers in the field of new energy commercial vehicles.
Q 6: The first question, the battery used in SGMW Yangguang, the BYD Red 1, is it a lithium iron phosphate or a ternary lithium one? For this model, what are the respective power and range? Secondly, I would like to know if this car’s battery has a reinforced design for scratch and puncture resistance?
A 6: The BYD Red 1 battery used in SGMW Yangguang is a Lithium iron phosphate one, with a power of 31.9 kWh and 41.9 kWh, corresponding to a range of 230 km and 300 km, respectively; different models with varying range will be offered with different battery pack capacities.
The second question, SGMW shines in its approach to battery protection against bumps by triple safeguarding.
Firstly, the vehicle’s structure includes a cage-like structure, thickened B/C/D pillars, a longitudinal beam column structure for inner shielding, and uses high-strength steel, taking up 83% of its build, including 61% for anti-collision beams, thereby enhancing the strength of the body;
Secondly, battery protection bars and shields are added to the front and bottom of the battery pack to further safeguard it;
Lastly, there’s the utilization of battery MUST ultra-thin structure technology, reinforcing the battery casing with ten horizontal beams (41.9kwh) and two vertical beams, thus ensuring the reliability of the battery case.
Q 7: The first question is, after the continued launching of the SGMW god-refined battery and SGMW red No. 1 battery, what future product planning do you have in regard to batteries? The second question is, considering the commercial vehicle industry at present, manufacturers like BYD and CATL are already supplying batteries for external auto companies. I want to ask, will SGMW’s future batteries also cater to other brands? What are our core competencies? How do we genuinely benefit commercial vehicle users? Thank you.
A 7: As you all know, user demands are consistently upgrading and current technology never stops evolving. SGMW has always placed user demands at its core, keeping up with the times. Today, I would like to share some of our secrets to media, though this strictly confidential.
For batteries, we have commenced planning in the field of ultra-high voltage batteries and sodium-ion batteries. As societal charging facilities and battery industry chains become established, we’ll release batteries that meet user demands at the right moment, so please stay tuned.
Regarding the second question, our core competitive advantages have always been our profound insight and experience in the commercial vehicle sector. We have 42 years’ expertise in manufacturing commercial vehicles, contributing to our deep foundation of development and massive user base. Based on this, SGMW is committed to deeply understanding users’ needs and delivering high-quality products that solve their pain points.
Q 8: You earlier mentioned there would be two battery versions for this vehicle, with a range of approximately 200 kilometers, basically fulfilling inter-city or intra-city freight requirements. Will you launch versions with larger battery capacity to meet long-haul freight requirements in the future?
Furthermore, commercial vehicles have more freight scenarios than passenger vehicles and some require timely delivery, leading to more frequent charges for commercial vehicles. What unique technological designs do we have to guarantee battery safety amidst high frequency charge cycles?
A 8: The products we currently provide come in two versions, with ranges of 230 kilometers and 300 kilometers respectively. These, compared to similar alternatives in the industry, are highly competitive.
Regarding the high frequency charge and discharge issue you mentioned, we now adopt Qing Ding ultra-durable battery cell technology which integrates quick-charging, anti-aging, and safety features, to comprehensively enhance the durability of the battery. This kind of battery cell charges faster, lasts longer and is safer to use during operation.Furthermore, it was previously mentioned that the SGMW Red 1 battery sports a superb intelligent temperature control system, enabling the battery to fast-charge continuously, completing a 30% to 80% charge in just half an hour. A driver can replenish half the battery life during lunch break. Hence, you may drive, rest a bit, and charge the battery in this rhythm, ensuring you can comfortably drive all day long.
SGMW is not purely focused on providing a single-dimensional, superior performance. Instead, it adheres to the “barrel principle,” making the overall vehicle performance more fitting for commercial uses through comprehensive coordination and cooperation of various technologies.
**Q 9: I have two questions. First, the showcased vehicle is a van. We understand that many who were born in the 90s or 00s, are part-timers delivering goods. Your first batch of cars also includes a seven-seater like the BYD, or other models with seats that can be used for family needs. Do you plan to launch such models later?
The second question is, we understand that many people are very concerned about the maintenance cost of the truck in the later stage, including the cost of replacing the battery. What is the warranty situation of SGMW? How about the maintenance cost of the three-electric system in the later stage?**
A 9: We will launch versions similar to our current combustion engine offerings, based on the current platform. Under this platform, we will also roll out more products, including passenger versions, or vehicles with multiple seating arrangements.
For the second question about maintenance costs and warranty situations. Firstly, look at our product, the SGMW Red 1 battery, we have confidence in this product. The warranty period will be set according to the optimal market conditions. As you can see, the SGMW Red 1 battery uses a removable battery cell technology, so if one cell breaks down, there is no need to replace the entire battery pack, which corresponds to the previously mentioned Must ultra-lightweight structure. If a cell is problematic, we will replace it. At the same time, we have more than 2800 outlets nationwide to provide after-sales service.
Simultaneously as launching this product, we also introduced a technology called battery balancing therapy. It will extend the battery life.
Q 10: In the future, will there be plans to replace the batteries in the SGMW Red 2 and Red 3? For B-end vehicles or freight cars, battery swapping is more efficient, but the cost of swapping is also high, will we have long-term plans related to battery change?
A 10: About battery swap technology, we have been accumulating. However, the specific launch time, whether to launch, are still under planning.
This article is a translation by AI of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.