In the result-oriented dimension, time is truly the most wonderful thing in the world.
In 1984, Paris, France, the Paris Motor Show, as the world’s first international auto show, arrived as scheduled, delivering the latest automotive news to the world. Around the same time, as the future domestic independent giant, Great Wall Motors had just laid the first few green bricks of the Great Wall.
As time passed, after 38 years, the Paris Motor Show returned after a 4-year hiatus due to the epidemic, and the green bricks from the past had already built the wall up to the Versailles Gate.
In October 2022, under Great Wall Motors, the pure electric brand Ora showcased two models, Lightning Cat and Good Cat, at the Paris Motor Show, and Ora’s goal is not just to show off. At the press conference, Ora announced that Good Cat was officially launched in Europe and will gradually enter the markets of the UK, Sweden, Germany, and other countries, and will continue to expand to European countries such as Israel and Iceland in 2023.
When we switch to a process-oriented perspective, we can raise a question to the result:
In the quality-first European car market, what did Ora use to pave the way?
A five-star pass
If quality is the obsession of Europeans with cars, safety is undoubtedly the best endorsement of automotive quality.
Ora understands this truth better than anyone else, and Euro NCAP sees Ora’s safety features more clearly than anyone else.
As one of the most authoritative automotive safety testing organizations in the world today, Euro NCAP announced its latest test results in early September 2022, with Ora Good Cat receiving the highest European five-star rating.
Objective results are always the most powerful answer. Euro NCAP Secretary-General Michiel van Ratingen openly put “ORA” at the benchmark position.
“This year, Euro NCAP will test more Chinese cars, and Great Wall Motors has indeed set a standard for other brands,” he said.
Within the test, ORA Cat had a balanced performance in all four tests and won high scores. Beyond the five stars, especially for electric vehicles, multidimensional safety technologies such as battery safety, vehicle safety, intelligent safety, endurance safety, and value retention safety played an extremely important role.
It can be said that ORA Cat is using a “five-star” ticket to establish a “pure electric fashion benchmark” in the hinterland of Europe.
And multidimensional safety is not an exception in ORA, such as the Lightning Cat that appeared at the Paris Motor Show.
A Beauty with Strong Performance
Speaking of Lightning Cat, even if we are talking about safety, I don’t want to bypass its appearance.
At this year’s Paris Motor Show, when the Lightning Cat appeared in the fashion capital with its ultra-streamlined appearance, it received what its slogan says, “Not just stunning.” Curves are the main theme of the Lightning Cat’s outline, and stunning is never just a subjective feeling. The objective drag coefficient of 0.22Cd tells us that the nimble Lightning Cat will also be a close friend of the wind.
Underneath the ultra-streamlined appearance, Lightning Cat upholds Euler’s legacy of safety.
If you were to ask people about their biggest safety concerns regarding electric vehicles, I believe the majority of responses would involve the battery. In response to these widespread concerns, Euler, well-versed in the ways of safety, offers the “worry-free battery” to its users.
When it comes to safety, no disaster scenario is too unlikely. Using the moment of battery pack failure as a basis, we can divide the situation into three stages: before, during, and after. In this process, the “worry-free battery” deploys five layers of uncontrolled measures.
When the battery pack is functioning normally, prevention is key. Behind the scenes, the battery’s intelligent security measures are already in effect. The BMS actively monitors over 100 parameters in real-time, such as voltage, current, and temperature. Multi-dimensional safety algorithms make predictions based on this data to prevent safety hazards in advance. At the same time, inside the battery pack, multiple horizontal and vertical beams form a reinforced structure, providing a secure place for the cells.
The role of structural security does not end in the early stages. Suppose the battery is impacted by outside forces. The reinforced structure can withstand up to 20 tons of pressure for the cells. When the cells fail irreversibly, mica insulation protection can withstand 1200℃ high temperature, avoiding the risk of electrical insulation failure of the battery pack, and ensuring insulation safety.
Subsequently, the voltage regulator safety protection rod takes over, and multiple pressure relief channels can accurately and efficiently guide the high-temperature and high-pressure gas ejected by a single battery cell failure, thus effectively controlling the occurrence of thermal runaway. In addition, the new ceramic silica gel material integrated in the worry-free battery pack can not only withstand temperatures as high as 1200℃, but can also effectively isolate heat, and has added a double insurance to prevent thermal runaway.
Structural safety, voltage regulation safety, insulation safety, and intelligent safety—these are the multi-dimensional battery safety system constructed by worry-free batteries.
Meanwhile, the contribution of intelligence to safety is not limited to just the battery, but also extends to driving.
The flip side of intelligence is safety
This is probably the most observant “cat.”
Upon closer inspection of Lightning Cat’s vehicle, ORA has installed 28 intelligent driving sensors in the curve of its ultra-streamlined body to explore the outside world. The destination of this flood of sensing data is ORA-PILOT 3.0, a self-developed intelligent driving assistant by Great Wall Motors that is deeply enabled with coffee intelligence.
As a fusion solution of vision, radar and high-precision maps, the ORA-PILOT 3.0 intelligent driving assistance system equipped on Euler Lightning Cat achieves stronger perception ability in the same level. The proof of “stronger” lies in the 29 L2+ level intelligent driving assistance functions that are realized for integrated driving and parking.
The essence of “driving” lies in the HWA+NOH high-speed navigation assistance system.
The unique 5G multi-satellite positioning system in the same level, combined with the combination of “high-precision maps + standard maps”, allows Lightning Cat to accurately perceive longitude and latitude to the centimeter level, and realizes point-to-point high-speed intelligent navigation assistance driving based on this.
The representative of “parking” is full-scenario automatic parking.
In 2022, “parking” coupled with “automatic” is no longer new. The key point of Lightning Cat’s move is on “full-scenario”. Supporting over 40 parking scenarios, a parking success rate of over 95% even in extremely narrow parking spaces, and an average parking time of less than 40 seconds… The advantages of fusion still exist when perception ability is projected onto automatic parking.
The ORA Pilot 3.0 is also experiencing a similar advantage cycle: the more reliable the intelligence of the Thunder Cat is, the more users can trust it in the corresponding scenarios. And as we gradually remove human error from stable scenarios, this also means that we will gain more security in these scenarios.
So where do these advantages come from?
The Selected “Meow”
As people often say, opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. ORA, as a pioneer in new energy entry into Europe, of course has its own advantages, and it is closely related to the accumulation of Great Wall.
With a broad vision, the Great Wall Motor behind ORA provides absolute support for ORA’s globalization.
On the technology side, I only want to mention a number: In 2021, the Great Wall Group’s technology R&D investment was nearly tens of billions of yuan, and the worry-free battery and ORA Pilot 3.0 intelligent driving assistance system are only one or two of the huge returns from the substantial investment. The next step after technology is mass production.
On the supply chain side, as one of the earliest Chinese car companies to establish a foothold overseas, the four comprehensive vehicle factories and five SKD factories of Great Wall Motor support the global supply chain coverage network of Great Wall Motor. The early overseas layout of multiple categories has accumulated sufficient experience and also planted brand foreshadowing in the hearts of people all over the world.
Back to Euler, Euler’s intrinsic qualities perfectly match the “European wave of departure”.
Euler, born for pure electric vehicles in the era of new energy, is undoubtedly a young brand. Its youthful temperament and thinking correspond to the mainstream consumer psychology of pursuing individuality in Europe. Secondly, the concept of clean and environmentally friendly embodied in pure electric vehicle models coincides with mainstream European values.
Focusing on products, the Lightning Cat is a model launched by Euler with the latest technology and the global capabilities of Great Wall Motors. Euler has the strength to bring it to Europe and the confidence to showcase it in the spotlight. When strength intersects with confidence, what the Lightning Cat demonstrates beyond that is the elimination of mileage anxiety with its 705 km-long super-long endurance and the torque freedom realized by the new intelligent four-wheel drive with dual motors, which is also the essence of “Made in China”.
In the era of new energy, Chinese automobile companies are getting closer to the world with the support of this essence, and the world’s recognition of Chinese electric vehicles is getting stronger. Euler not only sees it but also prefers to lead. Just like the Lightning Cat’s appearance in Paris, it can be regarded as a preview before its launch in China at the end of October. For overseas markets, complying with Europe’s strict technical standards is also a stepping stone to gaining recognition from domestic users.
In the past, we were passively accepting the input of Western car culture. In the era of new energy vehicles, we are determined to make a breakthrough. In 2022, our determination is gradually becoming a reality. More and more Chinese brands are looking to overseas markets, just like the positive guidance of ORA Cat in its overseas excursion. Instead of sacrificing quality for market share with lower prices, ORA Cat takes a high-end approach to go overseas with value and technology as its pivot, entering the overseas high-end market with “high quality and high price.”
This virtuous cycle is also a demonstration of what ORA has done for its Chinese counterparts who also want to go overseas in the future.
After all, the world is still vast, and China is catching up.
ORA has clearly taken the road of exploring new energy vehicles from China to the world.
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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.