Electric drives are also involved. From three-in-one to ten-in-one, who is far ahead?

While China's new energy vehicle market is focusing on price, configuration, and performance, a war on technology has already begun.

The core of the roll is the battery, motor, and electronic control, which account for more than 55% of the cost of the entire vehicle. The three major components of new energy vehicles are the battery, which accounts for about 40% of the cost of the entire vehicle. It is the first core to be rolled. : From CTM (cell to module, battery cells are integrated into battery modules), MTP (module to pack, battery modules are integrated into battery packs), to CTP (cell to pack, battery cells are integrated into battery packs), CTB (cell to body, battery cell is integrated with the body), then to CTC (cell to chassis, battery cell is integrated with the chassis), from blade battery, Kirin battery to Luban battery, it’s so exciting.

After rolling the battery, you can see the difference in the strength of the manufacturer's three electric motors and electric drives. Because a more integrated electric drive system will help reduce BOM (Bill of Materials) costs, thereby reducing the cost of car purchase in the market and improving the cost-effectiveness of the product.

The motor accounts for about 6.5% of the total vehicle cost, and the electric drive assembly system based on it accounts for about 10% of the entire vehicle cost. It mainly includes three parts: the motor, the motor control unit (motor controller), and the reducer. This is what is often called a three-in-one electric drive assembly.

Previously, mainstream suppliers and OEMs at home and abroad were developing three-in-one electric drives for passenger cars, including Bosch, ZF, Denso, Schaeffler (and four-in-one, plus thermal management), Vitesco Technology, Magna, BorgWarner, Nidec (formerly known as Nidec) and BYD, Shanghai Huayu, Changan, Dongfeng and other companies are pioneers.

On August 1, 2023, Vitesco Technology displayed a new three-in-one electric drive assembly at its Changchun factory. Zheng Quan from Vitesco Technology China Electrification Solutions Business Group introduced the advantages of three-in-one to visitors▼

In the earliest electric drive systems, each component was arranged separately and connected through wire harnesses, making the drive system complicated. With the breaking of technical barriers, especially the development of the new energy vehicle technology market, the integration of electric drive systems has become a trend.

From a technical perspective, the technological progress of electric drive systems focuses on areas such as power, energy efficiency, high integration, cost, and noise. Among them, improving electric drive performance is one of the key links to improve the vehicle's power, cruising range, and ensure safety and reliability. The electric drive system of electric passenger cars faces the challenges of reducing size and weight, increasing sales, and ensuring high-voltage safety and reliability.

In today's fierce market competition, new and old car manufacturers have begun to show off electric drives - super powerful all-in-one electric drives - before new products are launched.

Since 2021, old car-making strengths such as Cyrus, Huawei, BYD, Leapmoon, XPT (a subsidiary of NIO) Tesla, Nissan, Changan, Dongfeng, GAC, JAC, etc., as well as new car-making forces, as well as Vitesco Technology, etc. Ecological chains have released three-in-one and all-in-one technologies and products for electric drives. Even Nanjing Iveco, a light passenger vehicle manufacturer, has announced that its new product will be equipped with a six-in-one electric drive. Cummins, a commercial vehicle power chain manufacturer, has also introduced its three-in-one electric drive system. The drive bridge was introduced to China and mass production started.

Everyone says that their own technology is the best. Which electric drive company is the best, and which one is far ahead?

"Multiple-in-one" is on the rise

Dongfeng Nano 01, officially released at the Guangzhou Auto Show on November 17, takes electric drive to a new level: it adopts the industry's first highly integrated Mach E ten-in-one high-speed electric drive assembly - iD3-70, which focuses on high integration and high efficiency.

On November 3, at the 2023 Venucia brand refresh and autumn new product launch, the Venucia VX6, a new model "intelligent and versatile large pure electric SUV" under the native pure electric platform of Venucia Vita, was launched, using a six-in-one super electric drive. Wang Feng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dongfeng Nissan R&D and Procurement and Chief Technology Officer of Venucia, introduced that the new Venucia Vita native pure electric platform built by Dongfeng Nissan Technology Center "has a ten-in-one ultra-efficient electric drive, with a maximum operating efficiency of more than 91%" ”

Dongfeng Fengshen's first pure electric SUV - SKYEV01, launched on October 30. This 120,000 yuan pure electric SUV uses a five-in-one integrated electric drive, mainly OBC, DC/DC, drive motor and MCU two-in-one and reducer.

It should be noted that the electric drives of Nano, Venucia and Fengshen all come from Mach electric drive technology. The Mach E 10-in-1 electric drive assembly is an electric drive assembly released by Dongfeng Company in April 2021. It is the flagship product of the Mach Power family in the pure electric field.

On September 28, 2023, Dongfeng Company held the 8th Science and Technology Innovation Week in Shiyan. The ten-in-one electric drive assembly developed by Dongfeng Technology Center has become one of the highlights of this Science and Technology Week▼

Even more volume than Dongfeng Nano 01 is that at the China (Wuhan) International Commercial Vehicle Show on November 8, the Iveco Juxing EV series was launched. It also claimed to use a six-in-one high-efficiency electric drive integrated system, which was independently developed by SAIC. The high-efficiency flat wire permanent magnet synchronous motor has an efficiency of up to 96% and a comprehensive endurance improvement of at least 5%.

Trumpchi ES9, a new energy full-size travel SUV launched on October 28, also claims to use dual motors, dual electronic controls, differentials and other all-in-one highly integrated features. In July, GAC Group released a product for the A-class pure electric platform - N-in-1 integrated electric drive system on Technology Day. In March, GAC Aion released Quark electric drive technology.

At the third Changan Automobile Technology Ecology Conference held on September 4, Zhu Huarong, Chairman and Party Secretary of Changan Automobile, said that the seven-in-one "super-collector electric drive" and "seven-in-one" intelligent vehicle domain control developed by Changan Automobile The machine is at the advanced level of the industry - "way ahead", arousing applause from the audience.

The JAC Y3, which was launched on June 16, said it is equipped with JAC's nine-in-one super electric drive, one of the four ultimate solutions, and the electric drive cabin space is reduced by 40%.

On March 9, Nissan announced a new electric powertrain technology called "X-in-1" in Yokohama, Japan. Nissan has developed a "three-in-one (3-in-1)" powertrain prototype with a modular design of motors, inverters and reducers for pure electric vehicles; "five-in-one (5-in-1)" 1)" realizes the modular design of motor, inverter, reducer, generator and speed increaser, and applies it to Nissan e-POWER models.

X-in-1, which Nissan calls “all-in-one”, is Nissan’s new electric powertrain technology▼

In March, Cyrus DE-i super electric drive intelligent technology platform was unveiled, integrating traditional automotive components such as motors, batteries, electronic controls, and shock absorption, as well as body, chassis, interiors, etc., consisting of a 1.5T range-extended dedicated It consists of four-cylinder range extender, three-in-one electric drive system, large-capacity power battery PACK, vehicle controller VCU, motor controller MCU, generator controller GCU, battery management system BMS and other units, which have been used with Huawei Jointly designed AITO Wenjie M5, M7 and M5 pure electric vehicles.

At the 2023 China (Shiyan) New Energy Auto Parts Fair held on September 22-23, 2023, Jinkang Power, a subsidiary of Cyrus Group, displayed its new all-in-one electric drive assembly▼

Earlier on May 20, 2022, BYD launched the eight-in-one electric drive system; on July 27, 2018, Leapmotor held a "Self-Research and Leading the Future" brand experience day event at its Hangzhou headquarters to demonstrate the "three "One" + "five-in-one" integrated electric drive assembly - this electric drive system is codenamed "Heracles" (Hercules, the god of strength in Greek mythology).

How good is "all-in-one"

In fact, the all-in-one trend doesn’t stop at electric drives.

On October 31, at the 2023 Global New Energy and Smart Vehicle Supply Chain Innovation Conference, Wang Yan, vice president of the Greater China Automotive Electronics Division of global semiconductor company Infineon Technologies (China) Co., Ltd., told Automotive Business Review that it is indeed X-in-1 electric technology is becoming more and more widespread, and its integration has many benefits for OEMs. First of all, the entire system will reduce a lot of costs. And X-in-1 not only appears in the power system, but also appears in many domains, including the body domain and the intelligent domain.

During the exclusive interview, Luo Yingtao, general manager of Guangzhou Ruimei Auto Parts Co., Ltd., introduced to Automotive Business Review that the best they currently do is eight-in-one, which is supplied with BYD. The advantages of all-in-one are very obvious. One is that the cost has dropped rapidly; second, the space and weight have been reduced accordingly.

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