Introduction | it's also important to live in the moment
A few days ago, Che Jujun sent an article on the listing of Weilai ET5, and the resulting comment area was accusing Li Bin of this sentence: "I don't understand why there are still people buying oil trucks." On social media, it is also a verbal attack.
Previously, Tesla CEO Musk also said: "If you buy a gasoline car that does not have full self-driving capabilities, it is like riding a horse with a flip phone, it is unwise." ”
The electric giants all say so, so is the engine really outdated?
According to the "Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap 2.0", the internal combustion engine power will still account for 40% of the market share by 2035, and the share of this traditional power will remain stable in the decade from 2025 to 2035.
Therefore, although electric is good, fuel vehicles will not die in the next 15 years.
Because of this, in addition to launching electric vehicles and plug-in trams, large factories like GM are also actively updating their own internal combustion engine sectors. For example, the eighth-generation Ecotec 1.5T engine was launched in the middle of the year, which was selected as one of the top ten engines of the "Heart of China" in 2021, and everyone knows how difficult it is for the joint venture model to be selected for this list. Today, the corresponding models of this engine are coming one after another.
For example, on September 10, the long-brewed Buick Veyron Pro and Veyron Pro GS were officially launched, with a guiding price of 12.99-15.89 million. Not surprisingly, it comes standard with 1.5T+CVT. The nose is the latest eighth-generation Ecotec 1.5T, with a maximum power of 135 kW, a maximum torque of 250 N·m, and an acceleration of 7.7 s per 100 km/h.
Seeing this parameter, Che Jujun's heart moved: this is exactly the same as the acceleration performance of the Volvo S60 in his hand in 2013. But that's Ford's 2.0T five-cylinder, and this one is the general-purpose 1.5T four-cylinder.
Eight years later, the power of 1.5T is basically equivalent to the past 2.0T, and the progress of the internal combustion engine is indeed very fast. So what is the origin of this 1.5T?
1 dedication to a battle, hardcore mechanical properties
In recent years, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have successively announced the suspension of internal combustion engine research and development, other manufacturers may not have "said", but basically the attitude is similar. It also has to be said that after the major car companies cut their budgets, the development of new technologies in the entire internal combustion engine industry is indeed not fast.
But that's not a big deal, even if there's not much black technology, a brand new engine, and "closing" the existing technology is amazing enough, which is what GM's new Ecotec 1.5T engine does.
First of all, GM has put a lot of effort into the most basic combustion architecture, and the new model adopts a high-roller flow intake channel and a large curved piston head, which makes the intake flow better and the intake efficiency higher. The new model integrates the exhaust system into the cylinder head, reducing the exhaust resistance. The cylinder head uses a large number of aluminum alloy rotary casting process, so that the yield strength, tensile strength, high week fatigue strength have been greatly improved, it is foreseeable that the "resistance" of the new engine should be further strengthened.
The intake is "inhalation" and the exhaust is "exhalation", which are also the two points that traditional car companies see most in technology. Now the new 1.5T engine has solved the problem of "exhaling" and "sucking", and the rest is fuel injection control. The new model uses the leading 35MРа high-pressure direct fuel injection system, which is more precise for fuel injection control and can ensure that the fuel is fully burned to meet the requirements of high-power development.
In short, it is "burned" better and more fully, the efficiency is increased, and then the emissions are optimized.
Of course, for high-power engines, cooling and lubrication are also very important. The most typical is BMW's B48 2.0T engine, it is a model of "vigorous miracle", high burst pressure, high injection pressure directly, the effect is really good, the power output is direct and powerful, the disadvantage is that the engine can not hold up in the year, easy to seep water and oil.
GM does not dare to play like this, after all, GM's users are mostly ordinary home users, and their tolerance for vehicle glitches is very low. Like GM's new 1.5T engine, it adopts an independent coolant circulating water pump and radiator, which can accurately control the cooling temperature of the supercharged gas on demand, which has made a great contribution to the improvement of engine stability.
At the same time, it also uses a fully variable displacement oil pump, which can ensure the lubrication conditions of each system, and the demand for oil consumption has also decreased. In general, it takes some effort to ensure the reliability of the engine through exquisite design.
This point is actually very helpless for car companies, and everyone often has a higher tolerance for more expensive luxury brands. For example, Mercedes-Benz GLB, such a car of more than 300,000, uses a 1.3T engine, or Mercedes-Benz and Renault Nissan jointly developed, Nissan does not dare to use it on X-Trail, because 100% will be scolded, this performance will be taken over by the CR-V 1.5T hanging.
The same is true for GM, whose new 1.5T engine development is also trembling and trying to improve every aspect as much as possible. From the perspective of the construction of the main body of the engine, this new 1.5T engine is indeed integrated with the strengths of the family, which is quite hardcore.
With a good mechanical foundation, there must be a system to control it. The new 1.5T engine also adopts an upgraded version of the fully variable intake exhaust timing system, the industry's first new Dual Fast phase adjuster is very fast, and the mid-position large-angle structure design allows it to achieve oil self-circulation in the control valve, which not only improves the engine torque response speed, but also reduces the oil consumption rate by 50%. Simply put, the engine's intake and exhaust response is faster, and the work is naturally faster.
Its electric turbocharger can precisely control the opening time and opening degree of the exhaust valve under full working conditions, and the construction of the boost pressure is more accurate and fast. The phenomenon of turbo hysteresis is greatly reduced, and the dynamic response of the supercharger is improved. Just look at the "result" to see that the maximum torque speed range of the new engine is 1500-5000 rpm, which is basically fast enough and durable enough.
That is to say, if we drive in the city, basically a little deeper foot turbo will start to intervene, 1500 rpm can achieve the maximum torque output, so its power response is reassuring enough.
On the Veyron Pro and Veyron Pro GS, the maximum output of this engine is 135kW, the maximum torque is 250Nm, the official acceleration time of 0-100km/h is 7.7 seconds, the comprehensive fuel consumption of WLTC is 6.05L/100km, and the parameters are still quite outstanding, fast enough, fuel-efficient enough and durable enough. As a fuel engine, this is also the pinnacle of the work. But it is clear that the launch of such an engine at this stage, GM's ambitions are obviously more than that.
2 GM left the "rear door" of the new 1.5T engine
In fact, GM did not leave enough "back doors" for this new engine. It adopts a new generation of intelligent systems, has a very strong adaptability, and can even "evolve" itself.
The new engine uses the latest ECM control module, which can be more accurately adapted to the needs of users, and its control system safety has reached the world's leading ASIL-D level. At the same time, its computing power can be called the "strongest brain" of its class. The frequency reaches 300MHz, the computing power is increased by nearly 14% compared with mainstream products, and the internal memory is increased by more than 33% compared with mainstream products. It implements more features and also supports full lifecycle OTA remote upgrades, which is very rare in the same level of fuel engines.
GM has also injected a lot of careful thinking into the control, such as its high-pressure fuel injection system using an original small flow control algorithm, ECU can detect the movement trajectory of the injector needle valve in real time, so as to achieve accurate control of small injection flow and multiple precision injection. For example, its electronic throttle adopts a throat S-shaped airway design, which makes its intake control more accurate with a small opening, making the gear change smoother.
GM's engine can be combined with a light mix and a strong mix system, which can further reduce fuel consumption and meet higher driving requirements if needed in the future. Especially after the implementation of the new round of fuel consumption regulations, this is likely to be a general "retreat". That is, if the country must "shoot" pure fuel vehicles, it can continue to shine in the field of hybrids.
The engine is also well adapted and can be used with a variety of gearboxes such as the 9AT and CVT. Of course, this is also its timing, to know that GM really got the gearbox technology, in fact, in recent years, several new 8AT, 9AT, 10AT gearbox, indeed good evaluation.
The Veyron Pro is equipped with GM's newly developed steel chain CVT gearbox, which has both the smoothness of the traditional CVT gearbox and a stronger load carrying capacity. Taking Veyron Pro as an example, although the positioning is a family car, its 7.7-second acceleration accuracy can fully reach the level of a small steel cannon, which is just 1 second faster than the 1.4T sagittarius, and the daily household is definitely more than enough.
Therefore, this engine is not the last dragon slayer warrior, in fact, it has already laid a good future road, and will definitely become the main model of the general, at least the main models of Regal, LaCrosse, Oncovey, and Mai Ruibao will be used. As for whether it is equipped with 9AT or CVT, with or without hybrid, it depends on the specific requirements.
3 General in the countercurrent? Or do you go with the flow?
When GM's engine was first launched, there were friends around Che Jujun who sighed, now it is the world of electric vehicles, is this 1948 to join the Kuomintang?
There is still a difference between perceptual cognition and rational thinking.
From the perspective of national strategy, as the first article said, 40% of the internal combustion engine models will still exist in 2035. Although it is hybrid, it is certainly an unplugged HEV, and the technology is still dominated by traditional power. Therefore, the updated 1.5T engine is fully in line with the direction of the industry.
From the perspective of corporate strategy, there is a Boston matrix. That is, the company's business can be roughly divided into four parts: skinny dog, cash cow, star, and problem. The two dimensions are market share and growth rate.
Obviously, electric vehicles are the star business: the growth rate is fast but the market share is small; the fuel vehicle is the cash cow business: the growth rate is slow but the market share is large. The star business must be invested, otherwise it will die tomorrow; but if you lose the current cash cow business, the company is likely to die today. In layman's terms, it's a matter of strategic rhythm.
In November, SAIC-GM's sales of new energy vehicles accounted for 2.2% of the company's total sales, and traditional energy accounted for 97.8%. If this ratio is put into the national market, it will be more exaggerated. So the current reality is: electric vehicles are a small Spark for SAIC-GM, although the future will be a spark; fuel vehicles are a cash cow, equivalent to the rice bowl of the entire farm.
If the eighth Ecobtec 1.5T is successful, it is equivalent to letting the whole family have a fat year and continue to plant stars in the coming year. But if even the fuel car decays, the whole family can only drink the northwest wind.
What about from a market perspective? After the launch of the Veyron Pro in September, sales climbed rapidly. The number of insured vehicles in November has reached 3,000, a high point in the past two years. It shows that the market still pays the bill.
Going back to the Lexus case, it deviates from electrification, intelligence, and youth.
The connotation of electrification here is actually performance, but if the power of a fuel vehicle goes up, the fuel consumption is down, and to a certain extent, it can also eliminate its own inherent negative energy. The Veyron Pro accelerates at least 7.7s per 100 km/h than the ES200 10 seconds away. In addition, the design and positioning of Veyron Pro is young, which is also one of the reasons for its recovery.
Therefore, if the intelligence is further improved, I believe that the sales volume of Veyron Pro will be high.
In fact, far more than GM is launching a new engine, a number of domestic and foreign manufacturers are still working hard. For example, the Great Wall's recently unveiled tank 500 is equipped with a new 3.0T V6 engine, which can be more "against the trend" than GM.
And GM's 1.5T engine is already the eighth generation, it has a "basic machine", and the Great Wall engine is still a new platform. Why is the Great Wall so powerful? It is nothing more than because it is accurate, in the future of the large and medium-sized hardcore SUV market is still promising, although everyone is clamoring for electrification, but the purchase of fuel vehicles still accounts for a large proportion.
Chang'an's Blue Whale Power and Chery's Kunpeng Power are also constantly pushing new products and trying new ideas. Even the new generation of Land cruisers recently exposed by Toyota is equipped with a new 3.5T twin supercharged engine.
Then there is the recent ideal ONE, as well as the popularity of BYD DM-i models, indicating that the internal combustion engine still has a strong vitality. After all, a liquid can be filled in two minutes, and then it can drive 500 kilometers, who doesn't like such a "white technology"?
Car gathering summary
GM named this engine "Avatar", which means to have excellent performance and rich derivative expansion capabilities, but in fact, there is still a little bit of this meaning. However, in che jujun's view, its biggest charm is undoubtedly to meet the requirements of the national six on the basis of a major breakthrough in performance, to achieve greater power output and a wider torque output, faster acceleration while fuel consumption is also very low, which is also the most attractive to users.
After all, most users don't really care whether your car is burning oil or charging, fuel cells or solid-state batteries. Easy to open, practical, less faulty on the line, this new 1.5T engine, in the same level or more advantageous.
So, are you still willing to give fuel engines a chance?