When it comes to new energy vehicles, people may first think of pure electric vehicles. It is true that from the current proportion of the new energy vehicle market, the sales proportion of pure electric vehicles still has an absolute advantage. According to the data of the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the retail sales of new energy vehicles in mainland China will reach 2.989 million units in 2021, of which 2.444 million are pure electric vehicles, an increase of 168.6% year-on-year. Plug-in hybrid models, including range extenders, sold 545,000 units, an increase of 171.2% year-on-year, and the growth rate was higher than that of pure electric vehicles.
In terms of volume, although the hybrid market cannot be compared with the pure electric market, with the rising market share and growth rate in the second half of last year, plug-in hybrid is expected to break out in the "second spring" in 2022.
Behind the big heat is the improvement of the cost performance
As a "transition plan" for pure electric vehicles in the context of mileage anxiety, plug-in hybrid models have not been accepted by consumers for a period of time.
First of all, compared with traditional fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid models are more complex in structure and have higher maintenance costs. Secondly, plug-in and hybrid models are more troublesome to maintain than pure electric vehicles, and conventional maintenance such as changing oil, changing machine filter, changing air filter, changing transmission oil, and clearing carbon can not be less.
However, there is an old saying that "existence is reasonable". Since the plug-in hybrid model still has a place in the automobile market, it must have some advantages of its own.
Comparison of the price of BYD's new energy vehicles before and after the price increase
As we all know, the biggest "pain point" of pure electric vehicles is still mileage anxiety and imperfect charging facilities. Especially this year, with the rise in the price of battery raw materials and the decline of new energy subsidies, BYD, Tesla, Xiaopeng and other car companies have announced price increase plans. In this way, the cost-effective advantage of the plug-in model is immediately revealed.
Taking BYD as an example, the price of Qin DM-i is only 100,000 yuan, and the number of insurances last year was as high as 83,400 units. The new car-making forces represented by Tesla, Weilai and Xiaopeng are mainly high-end models of more than 200,000. The "stagnant" electric vehicles below 50,000 yuan represented by the Wuling Hongguang MINI are not competitive enough. Therefore, in the price range of 50,000-200,000, the "cost-effective" advantage of the plug-in model will be revealed. A Qin DM-i owner friend of the author also said, "Because of the limited capacitance of the old residential area, it is really impossible to install a household charging pile, and finally chose Qin DM-i, which takes into account the cost-effective advantages of fuel vehicles and trams, which is impressive." ”
Great Wall Motor's lemon hybrid DHT technology platform
At the level of OEMs, more and more traditional car companies have also begun to make efforts in the field of hybrids. Last year, Great Wall Motors launched three plug-in models on the lemon hybrid DHT technology platform: Mocha, Macchiato and WEY latte. Changan Automobile launched a plug-in hybrid version of UNI-K on the Blue Whale iDD hybrid system. Geely and Chery also have the Leishen Zhiqing Hi-X hybrid platform and the Kunpeng power plug-in hybrid system respectively.
On the one hand, the current breakthrough degree of pure electric battery technology is limited, before the arrival of solid-state batteries and other technologies, the development of hybrid technology has a window period; on the other hand, the use of plug-in hybrid vehicles is the most diverse, and the production cost after scale will be reduced. For example, the core components of BYD's DM-i super hybrid are independently developed and produced by BYD, so it has a low-cost core competitiveness.
It is foreseeable that with the large number of listings and marketing exposure of new models this year, the popularity of plug-and-mix models will continue.
What is the charm of plug-in technology?
As the saying goes, "rice should be eaten in one bite, and the road should be walked step by step." On the road from traditional fuel vehicles to pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid technology has its own unique charm.
Plug-in hybrid models can recover the energy generated by braking through the energy recovery device, thereby charging the power battery. At the same time, it is also possible to generate electricity from the power battery by using an inverter motor when driven by the engine.
To put it simply, plug-in and hybrid models include the internal combustion engine, transmission, transmission system, and fuel tank of traditional fuel vehicles, as well as batteries and electric motors for pure electric vehicles. In terms of drive mode, the electric motor and the internal combustion engine of the plug-in hybrid model are in a juxtaposition relationship, and one of them can be used alone or in combination. Therefore, plug-in hybrid models are more powerful than fuel vehicles and more playable than pure electric vehicles.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles usually have two complete power systems of fuel and pure electricity, and because there are more electric parts involved in the work, the power is naturally stronger than that of the same level of fuel vehicles. For example, bydir Qin PLUS DM-i's zero hundred acceleration can reach 7.3 seconds, which is 2-3 seconds faster than that of the same level of fuel vehicles. It can bring the owner a stimulating experience of power on call, starting and overtaking faster.
When it comes to plug-and-mix technology, many people may first think of Toyota and Honda. In fact, the first to study and layout in the field of hybrid is a Chinese company, BYD.
As early as 2008, BYD launched its first new energy model "F3DM", which is also the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid new energy vehicle. The DM1 hybrid system installed in the car realizes three driving modes of pure electricity, extended range, and hybrid (including direct drive) with dual motors and engines. This advanced new energy design concept shows that BYD is forward-looking.
Today, DM-i Super Hybrid has an EHS Super Hybrid System including dual motors, a special high-efficiency engine for Snap cloud-plug hybrid, which realizes more electricity, less oil, and efficient oil. Therefore, Qin PLUS can not only run a fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km in the case of power loss, but also bring a driving experience without a smooth sense of transmission.
So is the plug-and-mix technology only a transitional technology in the end?
The author believes that in the process of realizing the full electric drive of the automobile, the hybrid technology and pure electric technology, including plug-and-mix, have their own value and advantages. This technology can effectively balance the contradiction between mileage anxiety and battery price, leaving sufficient time for consumers to meet the era of automobile electrification.
Compared with the lively scene of domestic independent brands rushing into the plug-in mixed track, the prospect of the foreign plug-and-mix market is much cooler. Last year Mercedes-Benz announced that it would launch only the electric vehicle platform from 2025, while there would be no longer development of plug-in hybrid models.
It can be seen that the strategic positioning of major car companies for plug-in and hybrid models has always been wavering. With the change of policies, technological development, and different market demands, the development of plug-in and hybrid models is facing different prospects at home and abroad.
This year, China's plug-in and hybrid car market will surely usher in a situation of hundreds of controversies, and the range of consumer choices will be more abundant. The author expects that with the increase in consumer demand for vehicles with long mileage, good performance and low cost, plug-in hybrid models may usher in an outbreak in the A-class and B-class new energy markets. Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the Association, also said at the press conference not long ago that "in 2022, there will be more than 500,000 growth space for A-class plug-in hybrid models.".
In 2022, domestic hybrid models will be launched soon
It can be said that "plug-in hybrid technology" has ushered in a new opportunity for independent brands to "change lanes and overtake". Catching up with the joint venture brand and achieving independent upward mobility, domestic car companies must speed up their catch-up pace.