In the past 2021, even if you don't have an actual car purchase plan and don't pay much attention to electric vehicles on weekdays, it is estimated that you will still have some familiarity with "GM Aoteneng" -
While production cars had not yet been delivered in China, GM had launched an overwhelming advertising campaign on its latest Ultium Aotene pure electric vehicle platform.
The slogan of "Aoteneng, let electric vehicles be born stronger" has brainwashed the audience again and again in many domestic popular network variety shows.
It seems that this is also reminding all car manufacturers that at the moment when the wave of electrification and intelligence is sweeping the industry, seizing the user's mind through marketing means is another place that must be contested in addition to the development of new cars.
Also at CES 2022, GM did not simply use a new car and a new technology to outline the future, but came up with a series of new cars and innovative technologies, which were summarized as the "Aoteneng effect", showing its transformation from a simple car manufacturer to a platform-based travel innovation company.
Luxury concept car and pure electric pickup
Before introducing the highlights of GM at CES 2022, let's review a few of the core benefits of the GM Aotene platform:
1. Flexible, highly modular design: the use of replaceable, upgradeable battery module, flexible arrangement of the battery cell solution, whether it is lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium battery, or the future lithium metal battery, solid-state battery, can be used for its use. At the same time, through the modular design of batteries and electric drives, the platform can use a variety of drive forms to derive different models such as cars, SUVs, and MPVs.
2. Innovative, future-oriented intelligent attributes: It is the industry's first electric platform using a wireless battery management system (wBMS), which can reduce the wiring harness of the battery pack by 90%, increase the volume energy density, reduce the overall weight of the battery pack, and increase the mileage; the production process of the battery pack has been greatly simplified, and with GM's new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture, it can support more refined system management and iterative upgrade of functions.
3. Safe and perfect battery safety: Its battery development and testing strictly follows GM's global new energy vehicle standards, from the battery cell material ratio to the physical protection structure for careful design, to meet the five-star safety design standard for electric vehicles.
However, whether it is a slightly sci-fi wireless battery management system, or the battery safety that every manufacturer is vigorously promoting today, from the perspective of consumers, without really buying a car, the actual perception will not be strong.
Then, before the actual delivery of the mass production car, the most refreshing thing for people must be the first advantage: high modularity, so that the Aoteneng platform and volkswagen MEB, Geely SEA vast architecture, can quickly derive a large number of different models with the same architecture.
Since landing simultaneously in North America and China last year, GM's products based on the Aoteneng platform have covered GMC pure electric Hummer, BrightDrop EV600 pure electric logistics vehicle and Cadillac pure electric SUV LYRIQ.
Among them, Cadillac LYRIQ has been unveiled in China during last year's Guangzhou Auto Show, opening pre-sales, and is expected to be delivered this year.
For pure electric Hummers and Cadillac LYRIQs, you can also click on the previous video program of the Supercharger Station for a review:
At the CES 2022 booth, the GM Aotene platform once again welcomed new members: cadillac InnerSpace self-driving concept cars and Chevrolet Silverado pure electric pickups.
Let's first take a look at the concept car that attracts people's attention.
To be precise, the InnerSpace is the third model in cadillac's Halo concept line. At last year's CES show, GM already showcased Cadillac PersonalSpace flying cars and SocialSpace minibuses.
From the Personal (personal) and Social (social) in the name to today's Inner (internal), we can see the design idea of GM to create the Halo series concept car: to create a differentiated new car for different specific travel scenarios.
InnerSpace's exterior still looks cool, but it's placed on a concept body that makes it less of a world-shattering feel.
Smooth, spaceship-like body lines, fully enclosed glowing grille, illuminated logo, huge glass sunroof, slip-back rear...
These elements are naturally highly tech-savvy, but they don't seem to be surprising when placed on a pure electric concept car.
You know, today's manufacturers in order to attract attention, the popular concept car design is mecha style, retro style and other strange.
Since it's under the name InnerSpace, GM is clearly focusing on the car. And this focus is reflected from the moment the car door really opens.
The InnerSpace Concept is a two-seater pure electric sports car. Due to the low posture of the traditional sports car, passengers not only have to bend when entering, but also often have a small risk of bumping their heads.
In order to solve this small annoyance, InnerSpace not only opens the door at the moment of opening, but even the roof of the car can be opened at the same time. At the same time, the seat will also tilt outward at a certain angle to facilitate passengers to enter the car.
Inside the car, a sense of technology came over you — it really became "all screens."
This oversized panoramic SMD LED display is no longer just a large central control screen in the traditional sense, but directly extends to the internal roof, creating a truly cinema-like immersive video and audio experience for passengers in the car.
Through observation, we can also find that InnerSpace does not have a steering wheel inside, or even any physical buttons, which means that it will be able to achieve full autonomous driving, and all the instructions of the car system will be completely controlled by voice.
This also alludes to the idea that GM wants to present through this concept car: when fully autonomous driving is finally realized, the car will become a mobile "third space".
But if you think about it, there is still a little "paradox" here - a car that does not need to be driven manually, and seems to be no longer related to the pleasure of handling, is it still necessary to make a sports car?
Concept cars are just concept cars after all. Seemingly cool shapes and eye-catching technology only indicate the future research and development direction of car companies, and how many will really be mass-produced is always unknown.
In contrast, closer to the average consumer is another new car, the Chevrolet Silverado EV pure electric pickup truck that GM unveiled at CES 2022.
This Chevrolet pure electric pickup will inevitably be based on the general Aoteneng platform, which is evident from the "E" subtitle in The Silverado name at the press conference has become the logo of Atenerg.
The new car will offer a choice of high-end RST and WT (Work Truck) versions that favor tool attributes, with the same four-wheel steering system as the Hummer EV, and will be produced collinearly with the latter at the GM Detroit factory, benchmarking the Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla's Cybertruck.
But compared to the innovative Tesla Cybertruck, the Silverado EV basically retains the look of the classic fuel version of the Chevrolet Sorod pickup.
The new car's mere front face has become a closed grille common to electric vehicles, and is equipped with the popular through-line headlights. The body size has not changed for the most part, and it is still the behemoth of the common American pickup truck.
The change is more significant in the interior, in addition to the panoramic sunroof that first appeared on the universal pickup, the Silverado EV also adopted a new interior design style.
The top-of-the-line RST model is equipped with an 11-inch dashboard + 17-inch central control screen connected to the interior design, which is more technological. It will also be equipped with a vehicle-based engine system based on Linux, which supports OTA upgrades. However, the entry-level model still uses a split-type central control screen.
Since it is a pickup truck, in addition to being large enough and able to be installed, it is natural to have a strong power to match it.
According to data released by GM, the RST version adopts a dual-motor layout with a combined maximum power of 673 hp, a peak torque of 1063 Nm, and an acceleration of 0-96 km/h in just 4.5 seconds.
The WT version will have a maximum power of 517 hp and a peak torque of 833 Nm. Both versions of the new car have a maximum range of 643 km.
Although the Silverado EV will be unveiled much later than the electric pickup trucks of Tesla, Ford, Rivian and other manufacturers, and the actual delivery time will have to wait until 2023, this does not seem to have stopped the enthusiasm of American consumers.
According to GM, after the pre-sale began during CES, the order for the top-end version of RST priced at $105,000 (about 670,000 yuan) sold out within 12 minutes.
I have to make people sigh again, the American people really have a deep love for pickup trucks. I just don't know, in the future, will these pure electric pickup trucks be introduced into the country?
However, the greater significance of the two new cars under the "Aoteneng effect" of GM on CES 2022 lies in the momentum of its subsequent electric vehicle offensive:
Today, SAIC-GM's first Aoteneng plant was put into operation in Shanghai Jinqiao in October last year. It is expected that by 2025, SAIC-GM will launch more than 10 domestic new energy models based on the Aoteneng platform, covering the three major brands of Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac.
New software platform and more advanced driver assistance systems
In the era of smart cars, in addition to launching new cars, manufacturers must also work software upgrades in the car.
At CES 2022, GM not only showcased the above two new cars, but also brought the latest innovations in software: the new Ultifi software platform and the Ultra Cruise autonomous driving assistance system.
The English name of the Aoteneng platform is Ultium, and as can be seen from the name of Ultifi, this will be an exclusive software platform for Aoteneng models.
According to GM's official explanation, Ultifi is a new end-to-end software platform that will allow car owners to access in-car software subscription functions and continuously improve in-car software services through OTA upgrades.
Of course, just looking at this statement, it is inevitable that people are still a little confused. Let's make an analogy: the future of general purpose Aoteneng cars, similar to computer hosts. The Aoteneng platform and VIP electronic architecture are the hardware foundation, and Ultifi is the operating system of these hardware.
It is reported that with the Ultifi software platform, GM will be able to provide the following intelligent services:
1. App Store: Where customers can purchase and download General Motors or third-party apps. The vehicle and machine system based on Linux will be more open and can authorize third-party developers to create software applications for Aoteneng Automobile.
2. Software subscription, unlock new features: Similar to the concept proposed by Tesla and Nio, car owners can subscribe to or purchase functions such as autopilot assistance systems and valet parking on a monthly basis or at one time.
3. Improve the performance of the vehicle by setting up new functions, such as enhancing the monitoring of battery level information for more accurate power information.
4. Cloud-based connectivity for more processing power: Cameras recognize driver faces and start vehicles, communicate through 5G with other connected vehicles and infrastructure such as traffic lights, and connect smart home devices and other IoT devices.
According to GM's plan, the Ultifi software platform will be installed in Aoteneng vehicles from 2023.
As for Ultra Cruise, it is also clear from the name that this is a more powerful autopilot assistance system than GM's existing Super Cruise.
At the hardware level, Ultra Cruise's computing system is smaller, just the size of two laptops stacked on top of each other.
Despite its compact size, the system will have the computing power of several hundred PCs, consisting of two Qualcomm Snapdragon SA8540P SoCs and a SA9000P AI accelerator, providing critical low-latency control on a 16-core CPU and high-performance AI computations of more than 300 Tera operations per second for camera, radar, and lidar processing.
Doesn't that sound familiar?
That's right, GM Ultra Cruise is the first advanced autonomous driving assistance system developed using Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride platform. Qualcomm's solution was also publicly displayed during CES 2022, details can be clicked on Sony Cars, Qualcomm "Family Barrel"... Tech giants are chasing smart cars | CES 2022 is reviewed here.
Leaving aside the complex hardware parameters, the biggest upgrade of Ultra Cruise compared to GM's current Super Cruise is that it will be able to adapt to more and more complex traffic scenarios.
The GM Super Cruise is positioned as a "highway autonomous driving system". Figuratively speaking, if you drive a Cadillac with Super Cruise on the highway in the United States and Canada, the system allows the vehicle to fully automatically remain in the current lane, follow the acceleration and deceleration of the car in front, and your hands and feet can be liberated.
In addition to highways, Ultra Cruise will be compatible with more different scenarios. According to General's plan, when launched in 2023, the system will be adapted to more than 2 million miles of roads in North America, which is about ten times the current Super Cruise system.
GM's goal is for Ultra Cruise to cover 3.4 million miles of highways and city streets in the U.S. and Canada, enabling autonomous driving assistance in 95 percent of driving scenarios, leading to efficient, reliable, and predictable "Door-to-Door" fully autonomous driving.
Ultra Cruise is scheduled to be first installed in Cadillac LYRIQ, CELESTIQ and other models in 2023.
However, according to the above description, we have also found that the first adaptation of this system is still north American roads, and what kind of performance can be performed in the follow-up Chinese traffic environment has yet to be tested.
Universal room for improvement
After looking at GM's "Aotene Effect" at CES 2022, we can simply summarize it as: two new cars built by the Aoteneng platform + more powerful software systems and automatic driver assistance systems.
"Starting with the Aotene platform, GM is actively transforming into a new position as a platform innovator" is a summary of GM executives' performance at CES 2022.
From this, we can also see that from the production of cars to the creation of platforms, it is GM's answer to the intelligent transformation of today's automobiles:
Aoteneng is the platform for future vehicles, through a platform, GM's three major brands will "multi-point blossoming", in the follow-up launch of a richer matrix of new energy products.
A more powerful software system and an autonomous driving assistance system are software platforms that give universal vehicles a stronger openness in the future and provide consumers with richer intelligent services with cars as the carrier.
But back to reality, we will find that these new cars and new technologies are still just outlining a better future. In a competitive reality, GM faces far greater challenges than you might think.
Let's turn the clock back to last November, when GM CEO Mary Barra said in an interview with the media that GM is the market leader in electric vehicles and that "we are not going to give up our leadership to anyone."
The remarks drew comments from Tesla CEO Musk, who said, "Suppose, if they really produce a lot of electric cars, then they will become leaders."
When the time passed to the beginning of 2022, Musk had a new opportunity to ridicule GM.
On Jan. 6, GM released U.S. market delivery data, and the company sold just 26 electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of last year.
In response, Musk commented on Twitter again: "Room to improve (there is still room for improvement)."
Specifically, of the 26 electric vehicles GM sold in the fourth quarter of last year, 25 were Chevrolet Bolt EVs and 1 was a pure electric Hummer.
Chevrolet Bolt EV was affected by negative factors such as fire recalls and continuous production suspensions last year, and the decline in sales is naturally reasonable.
Symbolically, GM sold a pure electric Hummer in the fourth quarter, and it is a new car based on GM's Aoteneng platform.
Musk's "space for progress" in GM's future must be contained in the Aotene platform.
-END-
Listen to the most beautiful experts and tell the secrets of EQXX