Suddenly, like a spring breeze in the night, thousands of trees and pear blossoms bloomed. This poem is used to describe winter snow scenes, but it can also be used in the field of hybrids. In the past two years, Chinese brands have launched DHT hybrid architectures and found fuel-saving secrets that suit national conditions. Seeing the efforts of friends, Xingtu Automobile is not willing to be lonely, and has launched a new hybrid exclusive architecture - Star Core Power ET-i. Star Core Power ET-i is a plug-in hybrid system that will first be used for StarWay Wind Chasing ET-i.
A few days ago, Xingtu Automobile released the "Star Core Power ET-i Full Engine Super Mix" technology, officially entering the green card market. The three letters of star-core power ET-i have specific meanings: E stands for EXECEED and Electric(electric), T stands for Technology(technology), and i stands for intelligent(intelligence). Xingtu engineers hope that Star Core Power ET-i can make full use of its own technical support to create new DHT solutions and emerge in the field of new energy.
The so-called DHT refers to the modified hybrid technology, that is, the hybrid exclusive technology. Unlike the European genre, which "adds on" to the traditional AT or DCT transmission, the DHT architecture needs to rebuild the gearbox, involving a lot of R&D investment. DHT looks "tall" and is actually easy to discern. The key to creating a DHT architecture was to equip the hybrid system with two motors (excluding the rear axle).
What is the STAR-Core PowerED ET-i DHT architecture? In simple terms, the star core power ET-i is characterized by "33911", that is, 3 engines, 3 gears, 9 modes, and 11 speeds. Specifically, the 3 engines include 1 engine and 2 electric motors, the 3-speed finger hybrid transmission has 3 physical gears, the 9 modes represent the 9 working modes of the hybrid system, and the 11-speed is 11 gear combinations.
The Star Core Power ET-i consists of a hybrid engine, a dual-drive motor integrated in the gearbox, a DHT gearbox, a motor controller and a power battery. Among them, the DHT gearbox is undoubtedly the core of the hybrid system, which determines the integration form of oil and electricity. Star core power ET-i places the two drive motors in P2 and P2.5 positions and are equipped with three clutches C0, C1 and C2. Structurally, the drivetrain of the Star Core Power ET-i can be understood as some kind of 3-speed dual-clutch transmission. Note, however, that this DHT transmission incorporates two drive motors and functions completely differently from a conventional dual-clutch transmission.
The C0 clutch is arranged between the engine and the P2 motor to cut off the connection between the internal combustion engine and the drivetrain to achieve pure electric drive. Based on the two clutches C1 and C2, the P2 motor can work in tandem with the P2.5 motor and can also output power separately. The output path of the P2.5 motor integrates 1st and 3rd gear ratios, focusing on acceleration and cruising conditions. The second gear is arranged on the path of the separate output of the P2 motor, which is mainly responsible for "carrying up and starting down". Like the traditional P2 add-on solution, the Star Core Power ET-i can drive the engine directly to take into account complex operating conditions. The P2+P2.5 architecture determines the performance orientation of the dual-drive motor, which is also the focus of Xingtu engineers.
The P2 motor has a maximum power of 55 kW (75 hp) and a maximum torque of 160 Nm. The P2.5 motor is more powerful, with a maximum power of 70 kW (95 hp) and a maximum torque of 155 Nm. The two drive motors use I-PIN flat motor technology, which allows for more coil turns under the same volume and achieves higher power density. Officials said that based on the combination of technical measures such as two-way processing of the tooth surface, low-towing clutch, efficient oil pump, and main oil pressure following strategy, the maximum transmission efficiency of the system exceeded 97.6%, reaching the same level of Japanese products.
With the combination of engine and drive motor, the Star Core Power ET-i (two-wheel drive version) can output a combined maximum power of 240kW (326 hp). In addition to this, the Star Core Power ET-i is also available in a four-wheel drive version, which is implemented by an electronic four-wheel drive through a P4 motor arranged in the rear axle. The Star Core Power ET-i 4WD version of the system has a combined maximum power of 338 kW (460 hp) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h into the 4-second club.
Star core power ET-i has 9 driving modes, including single motor pure electric, dual motor pure electric, engine direct drive, parallel drive, parking charging, driving charging and so on. Depending on the operating conditions, the Star Core Power ET-i can automatically switch in 9 drive modes without the need for manual intervention by the driver. In addition, the Star Core Power ET-i is equipped with "two-core interconnection" technology, the power control system and the navigation system are interconnected, and the vehicle can identify the road conditions in advance and prepare the appropriate drive mode in advance.
With the "3-speed dual-clutch" DHT gearbox, the Star core powerED ET-i can theoretically achieve 29 gears. However, the hybrid system does not require as many gears. After a comprehensive analysis, the engineers selected 11 gear combinations. Due to the different efficiency zones of the engine and the electric motor, the above 11 gears have been able to cover almost all car scenes.
In order to achieve high efficiency, internal combustion engine systems are essential. The Star Core Power ET-i can be adapted to three hybrid-specific engines, namely 1.5T, 1.5TGDI and 2.0TGDI. The Starway Wind Chaser ET-i is equipped with a 1.5T hybrid engine with a maximum power of 115 kW (156 hp) and a maximum torque of 230 Nm in the combustion engine section. The engine has an in-line four-cylinder layout and is inherently better than a three-cylinder. Of course, the actual noise performance needs to be tested/tested before a conclusion can be drawn.
As the first mass-produced car equipped with star core power ET-i, the Star Trail ET-i has attracted much attention. In terms of power, the StarTrade ET-i is equipped with a two-wheel drive version of the Star Core Power ET-i Hybrid System, which has a combined maximum power of 240 kW (326 hp) and a combined maximum torque of 510 Nm. Official data shows that the 0-100km/h acceleration time of the Starway Wind Chasing ET-i is 6.8 seconds, which is nearly 3 seconds shorter than the 1.5T CVT fuel version.
The Starway Wind Chaser ET-i is a plug-in hybrid model that needs to take into account both pure electric endurance and fuel consumption. The pure electric mileage of the Starway Wind Chasing ET-i has reached 105km, and the hybrid cruising range has exceeded 1000km. In a power deficit state, the average fuel consumption of the car is 4.8L/100km. In addition, the Xingtu Wind Chasing ET-i adopts a CRBS energy recovery system, which can use the motor to reverse the drag to recover part of the kinetic energy.
Editor's comments: Some people say that Chery Group is like a "science and engineering man" who likes to innovate with his head stuffed. From the perspective of domestic sales, Chery is no longer a "brother", but its technical reserves should not be underestimated. The Starway Star Nuclear Power ET-i did not copy the Japanese DHT hybrid architecture, but went out of its own way. With a combination of 3 physical and 11 gears, the Star Core Power ET-i is able to balance dynamics and economy with a balance between dynamics and economy, and the actual performance is worth looking forward to.