[Aika Car Car Fun Talk Original]
Casually open a mainstream automotive media APP or web page of the car selection page, and then give 0-100km/h acceleration time less than 5 seconds, gasoline engine power these two conditions, I guess, you may be difficult to find from the search results priced less than 300,000 models. However, just change the power option to Electric/Hybrid and congratulations, a whole new world awaits you.
Compared with the output power and torque of the internal combustion engine, which is highly subject to the current engine speed and the established power curve, the motor can reach the working speed in a very short time after starting, and then output the maximum torque, plus most electric vehicles do not have the transmission of the traditional internal combustion engine car, and the power transmission path is more direct, so it is not difficult for the car manufacturer to accelerate the electric vehicle fast. At present, in the models on sale, even if the main cost-effective economic electric vehicles, if only measured by the maximum power, 0-100km/h acceleration time and other parameters, meet or even exceed the performance of the car standard is not a few. At this point, even many people have thrown out the view that in the era of electric power, horsepower is becoming cheaper and cheaper. Is this really the case?
Accidents caused by various electric vehicles have been common in recent years, but assuming that the power level of the vehicle involved is similar to that of gasoline vehicles at the same price, or that the driver has the driving ability to match the power level of the vehicle, perhaps the probability of tragedy is much lower.
On the one hand, with the popularity of electric vehicles, the price threshold of "high horsepower" has become lower and lower, and accidents caused by various electric vehicles are not uncommon. In December last year, a couple driving a Tesla Model Y in Liyang City, Jiangsu Province, turned left at a road intersection to enter the lane, when the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into the fence and rushed into the river, resulting in a tragedy of 1 death and 1 injury.
In April 2019, Ms. Xi'an Zhou lost control after driving the BYD Tang DM, and finally had an accident after successively avoiding the same direction and opposing the oncoming car, resulting in the serious consequences of one death and five injuries. I do not intend to discuss here whether these accidents are directly related to the vehicle's own driver assistance system, but assuming that the power level of the vehicle involved in the accident is similar to that of a gasoline car at the same price point, or that the driver has the driving ability to match the vehicle's power level, perhaps the probability of tragedy is much lower.
Of course, this is not to "drive back the history", to persuade everyone to give up embracing the "big trend" and change back to "old fuel vehicles". Rather, I want to show you that no matter how the driving form of the car changes, even when power is no longer the standard for measuring the quality of the car, horsepower will not be cheap, nor should it be cheap, because safety and life are priceless.
Why are performance cars and supercars expensive?
Under the premise of the same performance, the added value of the powertrain, brand and model is removed from the expensive price of fuel performance vehicles, and in fact, a considerable proportion of these models are spent on the high upfront research and development costs of these models, as well as tires, brake systems, suspension and other components that ensure safety and handling.
In the 1990s, the "god car" McLaren F1 even in order to ensure heat dissipation performance and avoid spontaneous combustion, actually "trench unmanned" in the cabin with 16 grams of gold to make heat dissipation parts.
In this regard, the examples of various supercars and performance cars are simply numerous: the body of the Bugatti Veyron is divided into two parts, the center is fixed by 14 bolts, in order to ensure its strength and light enough, the bolts are made of titanium alloy, each costing 100 euros (about 720 yuan). Due to the extremely compact cabin layout and the amazing heat when the V12 engine is running at full strength, the 1990s "god car" McLaren F1 even in order to ensure heat dissipation performance and avoid spontaneous combustion, even "trench unmanned" in the cabin with 16 grams of gold to make heat dissipation parts...
The body of the Bugatti Veyron is divided into two parts, the center is fixed by 14 bolts, in order to ensure its strength and light weight, the bolts are made of titanium alloy, each costing 100 euros (about 720 yuan).
If you think the above example is too extreme, we may wish to take the "people-friendly" and "old" BMW M3 (E92) as an example. In order to make the four tires sufficient to withstand the 309kW (420 hp) and 400Nm power level of the S65 V8 engine, the tire specifications of the car were not only far beyond the ordinary version of the 3 Series sedan, but engineers in Munich even jointly developed the Michelin PS2 tires of the M3 exclusive model with Michelin.
The old BMW M3 (E92) was equipped with tire specifications that not only far exceeded that of the ordinary 3 Series, but engineers in Munich at that time even jointly developed michelin PS2 tires for the M3 exclusive model with Michelin.
According to official information, in order to make this car get sufficient grip in different driving conditions, its front wheel inner tread, rear wheel inner tread and rear wheel outer side tread use three different rubber formulas to cope with the wear and tear of daily driving, the drainage and control of wet and slippery roads and the intense control of dry ground. In addition, the engineers deliberately designed the outer tread to be thicker to balance the centripetal force when the vehicle is cornering and expand the grounding area of the tire. At BMW's request, Michelin also reduced the weight of the tires by adjusting the rubber and steel wire layers. Although the front and rear tires of the car reached 245/40 R18 and 265/40 R19 respectively, the net weight of the tires was only 10.6kg and 11.5kg.
In order to allow the M3 to obtain sufficient grip in different driving conditions, its front wheel inner tread, rear wheel inner tread and rear wheel outer tread use three different rubber formulations to cope with the wear and tear of daily driving, drainage and handling of slippery roads and dry ground fierce handling. In addition, the engineers deliberately designed the outer tread to be thicker to balance the centripetal force when the vehicle is cornering and expand the grounding area of the tire.
In addition to the pursuit of the ultimate early research and development, in fact, the traditional fuel high-performance vehicles have made a lot of efforts at the sales and service level in order to ensure the driving safety of the owner. Whether it is BMW M, Mercedes-Benz AMG or most supercar brands, without exception, they have opened different levels of driving training courses for car owners.
In addition to the pursuit of the ultimate early research and development, in fact, the traditional fuel high-performance vehicles have made a lot of efforts at the sales and service level in order to ensure the driving safety of the owner. Whether it is BMW M, Mercedes-Benz AMG or most supercar brands, without exception, they have opened different levels of driving training courses for car owners. For the introductory course, the driver can learn to calmly and correctly control the vehicle in a critical state, and in the advanced course, the instructor will explain the extreme driving skills such as the track and off-road in detail, so that the owner can enjoy the driving pleasure brought by his car under the premise of safety.
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Seeing this, many fans of electric vehicles may refute me, they will think that the popularity of active safety configurations such as traction control systems and body stability systems can already take good care of the power of the vehicle, not to mention that many electric vehicles are also equipped with high-end driver assistance systems. Therefore, these complex things on the fuel car in order to improve the control and make people unconscious are almost like today's mechanical watches facing the Apple Watch, and all that can be sold is the feelings and stories. Is this really the case?
The above is the average income of tesla headquarters employees, and it is not difficult to find that even such a company that firmly believes that software determines hardware and implements the geek spirit throughout, the average income of engineers in basic mechanical design and testing is among the highest.
In September 2021, the Model S Plaid model's 7:35.579 Nürburgring Nord Loop lap record broke the record for a four-door electric car, even more than seven seconds faster than the Porsche Taycan that followed.
In fact, not only a huge amount of manpower and material investment, Tesla's years of deep cultivation in the mechanical quality of the vehicle are also quite remarkable, in September 2021, the Model S Plaid model set a record of 7 minutes 35 seconds 579 Nürburgring North Loop lap time broke the record of four-door electric vehicles, even 7 seconds faster than the Porsche Taycan that followed. Attaching importance to the mechanical quality of the vehicle electric vehicle enterprises is far more than Tesla, leaving aside the niche brand of Rimac, which specializes in pure electric Hypercar, the luxury brand Polar star, which focuses on control and design, in the high-end model of the PoleStar 2, which is a medium-sized sedan, it is also a series of "fierce materials" such as Orins' DFV double-flow valve shock absorber, Brembo four-piston brake caliper, horse brand CSC6 tire, etc., to match its 4.7 seconds of 0-100km/ h Acceleration time and 300kW (408 hp) power level.
On the high-end model of the Polar Star 2, it is also a series of "fierce materials" such as Orins' DFV double-flow valve shock absorbers, Brembo four-piston brake calipers, and horse brand CSC6 tires to match its 4.7-second 0-100km/h acceleration time and 300kW (408 hp) power level.
Compared with this, many electric vehicle brands led by some new car-making forces do not distinguish between model positioning, only exaggerate the "eye-catching" technical parameters such as 0-100km/h acceleration time and maximum power, while ignoring the mechanical qualities of the car's basics such as steering feeling, braking foot feeling, and high-speed stability.
summary
Having said all this, it is not to let all electric vehicles in the future, regardless of model and positioning, blindly increase the budget of model development, and finally make the price of each car unattainable. Here I just want to say that for many non-sport positioning electric vehicles, the blind emphasis on power performance is not appreciated. In fact, many responsible and introspective manufacturers have long realized this.
In order to achieve volvo cars' goal of "zero casualties" in 2020, Volvo announced in 2019 that all Volvo passenger cars (including internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid and pure electric models) produced after 2020 will be limited to 180km/h. Nio has limited the motor output power of the comfortable and energy-saving mode through the OTA upgrade of the whole vehicle, improving daily driving safety and achieving better battery life performance.
However, relying only on the self-restraint of manufacturers, I am afraid that it is difficult to regulate the entire electric vehicle industry in a short period of time. If you want to solve this problem efficiently and simply, I am afraid that it is still a call for the government to introduce relevant policies and regulations. It must also be admitted that whether it is the acceleration sensation, the travel and setting of the accelerator and brake pedals, or the shift of the vehicle's center of gravity when cornering, most electric vehicles currently on sale are still significantly different from fuel vehicles. Therefore, although Ms. Tao Lin, tesla's global vice president, said that "car owners should strengthen learning" sounds ridiculous, the existing driving test system in the context of the automotive industry's full electrification, in the context of the overall electrification of the automobile industry, what kind of changes and iterations should be made, but it is a topic worthy of serious consideration by every practitioner.
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