Most people purchase hybrid products to save fuel. Therefore, how to achieve better fuel efficiency has become the most vital concern for consumers when purchasing hybrid cars. In recent years, the fuel consumption of hybrid products from Toyota and Honda has been apparent to all, which has led to the saying “eight out of ten hybrids are from Toyota.” However, with the rapid development of domestic cars in the past two years, hybrid technology has made a qualitative leap. A representative example is the Geely Liangshi hybrid system that we will experience today.
After the Liangshi 1300km maximum range challenge and the ice and snow cold weather test drive, we came to the Liangshi new energy experimental center located in Ningbo, Zhejiang, to experience firsthand how the Geely Liangshi hybrid system performs.
Before the test drive, let’s take a theoretical approach to see what the Geely hybrid system’s structure looks like. Without further ado, let’s open it up. We can see that the integration of the Liangshi 3DHT Pro system’s transmission is quite high. The 3DHT Pro weighs about 120 kg and has an axial length of 354 mm, around 26-56 mm smaller than its competitors, making it the world’s smallest hybrid-specific gearbox regarding axial length.
Besides, the DHE15 hybrid-specific engine is the record holder of the world’s highest thermal efficiency in mass-produced hybrid engines certified by Energy Star. Its maximum thermal efficiency of 43.32% is higher than the Japanese hybrid’s highest level of 41%. The high-efficiency zone covers approximately 50%.
Apart from its advantages in small size and high thermal efficiency, 3DHT Pro can also achieve parallel power output by shifting between three-speed ratios in the full-speed range.
When starting, matching the 1st gear with a large speed ratio can achieve rocket-like acceleration, and the official promotion claims to improve the acceleration ability by 50%. After exceeding 20 km/h, it can enter the full-speed parallel mode, surpassing the parallel vehicle speed of Japanese hybrids by at least 70 km/h. When overtaking on highways above 80 km/h, it can proactively shift from 3rd gear to 2nd gear to speed up and improve overtaking efficiency.
# Lynk & Co 01 EM-F – A low fuel consumption SUV
Lynk & Co 01 EM-F is one of the products that incorporates this technology. According to official information, the WLTC fuel consumption of Lynk & Co 01 EM-F is as low as 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers. In our actual experience, we adjusted the gear to the ECO mode, and the actual fuel consumption was 5.1 liters over smooth urban roads. However, it is noteworthy that this fuel consumption result was obtained when the car was carrying three adult men, and the fuel consumption should be even better when the vehicle is empty, which is almost equal to the official advertising.
The appearance of Lynk & Co 01 EM-F has not changed much from the previous version. The front of the car still uses Lynk’s signature frog-eye design. The daytime running lights and the headlights are located on both sides of the hood and the grille respectively. The front of the car looks even simpler with the addition of a spoiler-like ornament under the lights.
The major changes are mainly concentrated at the rear. The new Lynk & Co 01 EM-F features integrated tail lights that extend to the sides of the vehicle, forming a “7” shape, which looks more cohesive compared to the previous divided design. At the same time, the old vertical light strips in the middle have been replaced by horizontal ones.
Interior, as always, is the traditional strength of Lynk & Co, and this time’s 01 EM-F is no exception. Compared to joint venture brand cars, this interior design and materials are more pleasing to consumers.
We test drove the car with the popular panda color scheme – black on top and white below. The steering wheel is also color-coded accordingly, and the whole cabin is designed with straight lines.
The center console is my favorite part – Lynk has used multi-geometry patterns around the gear lever to cater to the sporty style of the car, coupled with gray chrome-plated parts and white stitching for decoration, which looks really exquisite.
Apart from the Lynk & Co 01 EM-F, Geely Auto Group will launch more than 20 Rechargeable Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) models in the next three years, including the already released Xingyue L Hi·F and Borui L Hi·P. In the second half of this year, Geely will also release a PHEV model with a pure electric range of up to 200 kilometers.
Lynk & Co will also launch four intelligent PHEV models this year. According to its plan, Lynk & Co will electrify all its products with Lynk & Co’s intelligent PHEV technology by 2025. I am also looking forward to the PHEV products that Lynk & Co will bring us in the second half of this year.
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.