Breaking the joint venture monopoly, four major domestic "hybrid" technologies have emerged. Which one best meets the needs of the Chinese people?

Hybrid vehicles have always been regarded as a good transitional product between pure fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles. Currently, major manufacturers are also actively developing hybrid technology, and this is also true for the independent camp.

There are four main types of hybrid technologies commonly found in the market: MHEV (48V mild hybrid), HEV (oil-electric hybrid), PHEV (plug-in hybrid) and REEV (range-extended hybrid). The current situation is that the routes taken by domestic brands are different.

BYD DM and DM-i specialize in plug-in hybrids, as do Changan iDD and Chery Kunpeng DHT; while Great Wall Lemon DHT is more inclined towards oil-electric hybrids. Geely and Ideal are representatives of 48V mild hybrids and extended-range hybrids, respectively. The question is, which of the four types of hybrids adopted by domestic brands is more in line with the needs of Chinese people? Today, Jiang Ge will discuss this with you.

1. MHEV (48V mild hybrid)

Representative brand: Geely

Let’s talk about MHEV first, which refers to the 48V mild hybrid system. In essence, it adds a 48V electrical system to the original fuel vehicle. The structure is mainly composed of three parts: BSG (engine belt-driven motor) or ISG (integrated induction motor) + 48V battery + DC/DC (transformer).

Its advantage is that it can not only store the energy recovered during braking, but also help the engine during starting and acceleration, thereby achieving the purpose of "mild" fuel saving and improving smoothness. Compared with the other three types of hybrids, the 48V mild hybrid has the simplest structure and the lowest cost, so the development threshold is not high.

At the beginning, 48V mild hybrid mostly appeared in luxury brand models such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover. In recent years, domestic brands have gradually promoted it, and Geely is the earliest and most widely used independent car company. Currently, models such as Boyue, Jiaji and Xingyue are all equipped with it.

Boyue PRO

At present, many consumers are not very interested in the 48V mild hybrid system. There are three main reasons: first, this type of vehicle is a traditional fuel vehicle and does not receive policy subsidies; second, it has little actual effect on reducing fuel consumption; third, there are concerns about stability and possible maintenance costs in the future.

2. HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle)

Representative brands: Trumpchi, Great Wall

I believe Chinese consumers are more familiar with HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), such as Toyota THS and Honda i-MMD hybrid. This type of hybrid cannot be powered by an external power source, and due to the small battery capacity, the pure electric range is also relatively short. In most cases, the motor and engine cooperate with each other and drive the vehicle according to different working conditions.

Due to their early start, Toyota and Honda have formed many patent barriers in the HEV field. However, there is no shortage of domestic brands going in this direction. The first is GAC Trumpchi. With Toyota's technical authorization, the new generation Trumpchi GS8 in November will use the fourth-generation THS hybrid system for the first time. The difference is that the Trumpchi GS8 uses its own 2.0TM engine.

The new generation of Trumpchi GS8

Unlike Trumpchi, Great Wall's Lemon Hybrid DHT is independently developed. This hybrid system is mainly composed of a 1.5L/1.5T engine, a fixed-axis gearbox, two electric motors, a motor controller, etc. The overall working logic is similar to Honda's third-generation i-MMD.

However, compared to Honda's one-speed direct drive mode, Great Wall DHT hybrid has a unique two-speed direct drive mode. Thanks to this, it can more flexibly choose the appropriate gear according to driving conditions. The comprehensive fuel consumption of A-class SUV using this power can be as low as 4.6L/100km.

It is worth mentioning that Lemon Hybrid DHT supports both HEV and PHEV. At present, Great Wall Motors has launched WEY Macchiato and Haval H6S, which are mainly HEV models. Although they are not new energy vehicles and cannot be issued green license plates, their fuel-saving effect is more obvious than that of 48V mild hybrid.

WEY Macchiato

Haval H6S

3. PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle)

Representative brands: BYD, Changan, Chery

Compared with HEV, PHEV has a more complex structure. Its biggest feature is that it can be charged with an external power source, has a larger battery capacity, and can be issued with a green license plate (except in Beijing). In this field, BYD DM-i is currently the most prominent.

Compared with the original DM technology that focuses on performance, DM-i will be more energy-saving oriented. Its structure is mainly composed of the Xiaoyun plug-in hybrid 1.5L and 1.5T engines, the dual-motor EHS electric hybrid system, and the hybrid-specific power blade battery.

In general, the logic of this hybrid system is to make the engine work less and the hybrid motor work more. And its advantages are also obvious: excellent fuel consumption when the battery is low, fast charging, and low price cost.

After BYD DM-i, Changan and Chery are also pursuing similar technical routes. First of all, Changan's DDi hybrid is based on the Blue Whale 1.5T engine, and achieves hybrid effect by adding high-efficiency electric drive transmission, ultra-large capacity PHEV battery and electronic control system.

The first model equipped with this hybrid system will be the UNI-K PHEV. According to the official introduction, the new car's pure electric range reaches 130km, the fuel consumption when the battery is low is only 5L/100km, and the acceleration from 0 to 100km/h is compressed to 6s+.

Changan UNI-K PHEV

As for Chery's Kunpeng DHT hybrid, it also uses a 1.5T engine, but unlike BYD DM-i and Changan DDi, which use a single motor, Chery uses a dual-motor drive. In addition, compared to BYD DMi's single-speed direct drive continuously variable transmission, Chery uses a multi-gear ratio hybrid-specific gearbox.

The first model to be equipped with this hybrid system will be the Tiggo 8 PLUS. It is reported that its fuel consumption per 100 kilometers will be less than 5L, and it can achieve the fastest acceleration of 4.9 seconds per 100 kilometers, far exceeding the Tang DM-i and Changan UNI-K PHEV.

Tiggo 8 PLUS Kunpeng e+

4. REEV (extended range)

Representative: Ideal, Lantu

Let's talk about the extended-range model. Its structure is similar to that of the plug-in hybrid, but the biggest difference is that the engine of the extended-range model is only responsible for generating electricity for the electric motor, and the electric motor is the real driver of the wheels. So in terms of driving characteristics, it is more like a pure electric vehicle.

Many people got to know this technology through Ideal ONE, which is equipped with a hybrid assembly consisting of a 1.2T engine + a new permanent magnet motor (three-in-one motor). Although this technology has always been controversial, judging from the sales of Ideal ONE, many people are still willing to accept such a product. In addition, Dongfeng's high-end new energy brand, Lantu, also focuses on the extended-range version of its first model.

Ideal ONE

Lantu Free

By the way, at the end of October this year, Geely also released a Leishen Zhiqing Hi•X hybrid system, which has two hybrid-specific engines, 1.5TD and 2.0TD, and a 3-speed hybrid transmission. The official claim is that the NEDC fuel consumption of the hybrid system is 3.6L per 100 kilometers.

This hybrid system can support multiple hybrid technologies such as HEV, PHEV, REEV, etc. However, judging from Geely’s slogan of “surpassing Japanese hybrid”, it will eventually focus on HEV.

Last words

Finally, let's briefly summarize the four hybrid routes that domestic brands are currently developing:

1. MHEV (48V mild hybrid): The technical structure is relatively simple and the cost is not high, but the impact on fuel economy or driving experience is not obvious;

2. HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle): It has a significant fuel saving effect, but unfortunately it cannot be issued with a green license plate or enjoy purchase tax exemption, and its price is relatively high;

3. PHEV (plug-in hybrid): With the support of new energy policies, there is no range anxiety. If the problem of power loss and fuel consumption can be solved like BYD DM-i, and the price cost can be reduced, consumers will be happy to accept it;

4. REEV (extended range electric vehicle): Because there are fewer manufacturers developing this technology, the overall attention is relatively low and the price is relatively expensive.

After reading the above introduction, I believe everyone already has the answer in their minds as to which route is suitable for domestic brands.