My Journey as a “Leek King” and My Next Electric Car
Hello, everyone! I am a reader of GeekCar and a public figure who is often mentioned by you all. Yes, I am the “Leek King”, whose scientific name is “the little white mouse devastated by the first batch of electric car products.” Just kidding! This time, I want to share with you my journey as the “Leek King” and also talk about my next electric car.
Do you know how I’ve spent these five years?
After nearly five years of use, the first batch of electric cars have caused me two main issues.
- Battery problem. The issue of endurance has been discussed many times. What I want to say is that what the first batch of electric car users really worry about is not the poor endurance displayed on the dashboard. Considering that I didn’t plan to take it on long trips when I bought the car, what really worries me is “Schrödinger’s battery life.” Especially in the winter, when I drive to work in the morning, the remaining range shown on the dashboard is usually about 90 kilometers. However, when I prepare to go home in the evening, it may only be about 70 kilometers.
Due to technical problems, the first batch of electric car batteries were extremely unstable, especially when left outdoors for a long time in the winter. Every day, I have to prepare myself mentally before getting in the car. When the dashboard lights up, it feels like opening a blind box, adding some fun to my monotonous life…
- Charging problem. The most annoying problem for me now is charging. When I bought my electric car, I was provided with a private slow charging station. However, my community regulations prohibit private electricity connections. Fortunately, there are slow-charging stations provided in the underground parking lot in partnership with a certain niche charging brand. At the beginning, I was the only one charging in the community. However, in the past two years, more and more people bought electric cars, and I have to fight for charging stations with others every time I come back from work.
Even though electric cars have tortured me countless times, I still love them like my first love.
Many friends must wonder why, as the “Leek King,” I choose to buy another electric car? The reason is simple: despite the countless tortures from my electric car, its user experience has really spoiled me. The absence of a gearbox means there is no jerking when driving. The air conditioning can be turned on when parking without worrying about the carbon monoxide and carbon deposition produced by idling. The low cost of use and maintenance allures me.
With the improvement of the practicality of electric cars in recent years, the advantages of electric cars in terms of driving feel have become increasingly obvious. Therefore, not only will I choose an electric car, but I will also give it higher priority. After being “controlled” by an electric car once, I truly understand that I rarely have intercity travel needs. Therefore, electric cars can completely cover most of my driving scenes.
The first electric car accompanied me through my hustle and bustle for five years, helping me save some money. Therefore, I have a bigger budget for my next electric car, and I am ready to choose a luxurious brand of pure electric products. As my focus leans toward electric cars, the endurance must be at least 600 kilometers, and the space must also be large. An SUV is the best choice.
For the next electric car, I want to try a “crab.”Talking about it now, I have actually already had a good selection in mind, which is the Cadillac LYRIQ that just ended its pre-sale promotion and will debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show after a while. Below, I will explain step by step why the Cadillac LYRIQ may become my ultimate choice.
Firstly, it is a luxury brand. With traditional brands accelerating their electrification transformation over the past two years, traditional luxury brands have also had their main electric vehicle products. Currently, BBA’s mainstream mid-size electric SUV, the Cadillac LYRIQ, and the NIO ES8 with 100-degree batteries are all within my selection range.
The second consideration is the underlying technology. After having suffered from battery problems before, I am more concerned about the innovation of car companies on pure electric platforms and three-electric technologies. Currently, the underlying technology that is doing relatively well is General Motors’ Ultium three-electric platform and Volkswagen’s MEB pure electric platform. The domestically produced Audi e-tron, Mercedes-Benz EQC, and BMW iX3 are all in a state of just entering the market, and their performances have not been verified over time. However, from the perspective of developing pure electric platforms from scratch, which is a better proof of a manufacturer’s determination and depth of technical reserve than launching products that convert from gasoline to electric. At least in my view, if a new platform cannot bring a better experience, what is the point of starting from scratch and rebuilding it?
Although Audi also belongs to the Volkswagen Group, products based on the MEB platform cannot be purchased in China yet. Generally speaking, the LYRIQ built based on the General Motors Ultium platform is more in line with my needs. Compared with those electric SUVs that are already on the market, the Cadillac LYRIQ is indeed more like a crab that has never been attempted by anyone, but it is ultimately developed by SAIC-GM, and not by an unknown new force.
What attracts me most is the wBMS wireless battery management technology used on the Ultium platform, which coordinates the performance of each cell and battery module through wireless communication, greatly reducing the number of low-voltage connectors. The Ultium battery pack removes 90% of the wiring harness, reducing the weight of the entire pack, while the volume energy density increases by 3Wh/L, which helps to increase the range and create space for more cells.At yesterday’s pre-sale event for the Cadillac LYRIQ, it was announced that the car will have a CLTC650 km range. Compared to the four other products in my consideration, LYRIQ has the longest range, which not only covers urban travel needs but also meets the requirements of short-distance intercity travel. I don’t think it’s necessary to drive to places that are over 600 km away.
In terms of battery performance and safety, the Ultium Platform can also provide sufficient protection. Its battery cells are jointly developed by SAIC General Motors and local suppliers based on the basic formula of 811 ternary lithium batteries, with improved thermal stability.
At the same time, the platform provides a more efficient cooling system. With these improvements, the Cadillac LYRIQ can achieve fast charging throughout the entire life cycle of the battery. The wireless Battery Management System (wBMS) can real-time monitor the cells. If a cell is damaged, the connection between the battery pack and the cell will be cut off immediately to ensure the safety of the battery pack.
In addition to technical considerations, product strength is also a core factor in my decision to choose LYRIQ. In terms of traditional evaluation standards, space is my rigid demand, and of course, space is also an advantage of LYRIQ.
As a rare mid-to-large pure electric SUV in the market, LYRIQ has a length of 5.1 meters and a wheelbase of nearly 3.1 meters. These data are comparable to the Audi Q7, BMW X5, and Mercedes-Benz GLE. In terms of space size, it completely surpasses BBA’s mainstream midsize SUVs in the market.
The 4.9-second acceleration per 100 km is also an exciting performance. Compared with other products, the pre-sale price of 439,700 RMB is a price with cross-level appeal.
Finally, intelligence is the last point. It cannot be separated from two critical items: intelligent driving and intelligent cabin.
Cadillac’s driver assistance system is Super Cruise, and LYRIQ will be equipped with the latest enhanced Super Cruise system.
In fact, last summer, I experienced this feature by borrowing my friend’s top-of-the-line Cadillac CT6. At that time, the function included high-speed navigation-assisted driving that provided an intelligent driving experience based on high-precision maps. Of course, the driver still cannot divert their attention from the road because there is a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) on the steering wheel to observe the driver’s eyes to see if they are looking elsewhere. After activating Super Cruise on the highway, I immediately felt like I was traveling in a luxury car.Cadillac is one of the earlier manufacturers that implemented high-speed navigation functions, even earlier than the domestic new energy vehicle companies. Nowadays, it is no longer rare to have high-speed navigation assistance, so I am looking forward to an upgraded experience of the enhanced Super Crusies system.
As someone who has been following intelligent cars for a long time, I have long been drooling over the car machine system of the LYRIQ. The LYRIQ’s car machine system uses the best Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, and the hardware equipped for this chip is also remarkable.
The 33-inch circular super retina screen is unique. It is currently known that the car screen is capable of displaying 9K image quality, and the screen achieves a PPI of 271, which is currently the NO.1 parameter for car screens. Currently, only the Mercedes-Benz EQS can compete (208PPI). The new iPad Pro released this year only has 264PPI. (PPI refers to the number of pixels per inch that a display can have).
Therefore, the higher the ppi value, the higher the density at which the display can show images, which is for the better experience of the driver. I have been following LYRIQ’s news through reports, so I really want to take the opportunity of the Guangzhou Auto Show to experience LYRIQ’s intelligent cockpit firsthand and see if Cadillac can overturn my perception of intelligent cockpits by optimizing visual effects.
Another attractive feature of LYRIQ is the AKG studio-level hi-fi audio system equipped with 19 speakers. There are also dual speakers on the headrests of the driver and front passenger. When on the road, there is always a need for sound accompaniment, and it can be said that manufacturers who put thought into their audio systems are more understanding of user needs.
The cabin design of the Cadillac LYRIQ is very much in line with my personal aesthetics. Although we are currently in an era of intelligent cars where technology comes first, minimalist industrial design like Tesla is still popular, but I always believe that cars should still have the attribute of accommodating space. It’s just like decorating a house, no one wants their home to be cold.
Because of the demand for intelligence by users, LYRIQ has also given up a large number of physical buttons and instead adopted large screens and new interaction methods. However, its cockpit still has a luxurious feel with leather, metal trim, and lighting. This sense of luxury should not be abandoned in any era, because it wraps our body and soul and satisfies our emotional needs.## From “Passive Amazement” to “Active Choice”
I first heard about the Cadillac LYRIQ at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show. At that time, LYRIQ was still called a concept car. To be honest, when I first saw this car, I was indeed impressed by its coolness, but I never thought that the production version would be so similar to the concept car. The second time I was amazed was when SAIC-GM announced its Ultium Platform. I never expected that GM could start its transformation so smoothly just as the era of electrified cars was about to begin.
Now, I’m also ready to say goodbye to the “Leek King’s Car” that has been with me for five years. The pain it brought me is nothing now, because I’m looking forward to seeing the charm of the Cadillac LYRIQ at the Guangzhou Auto Show.
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.