If you have ever known micro-electric vehicles, you will know that micro-electric vehicles are very popular in the new energy market. Taking the well-known Hongguang MINIEV of SAIC-GM-Wuling as an example, the cumulative retail sales of this micro-electric vehicle in 2021 are 395451 units, while the retail sales of new energy passenger cars from January to December 2021 are 2.989 million units (the above data are from the Association), which shows its popularity.
In addition, Chery QQ Ice Cream, a micro-electric vehicle similar in shape to Hongguang MINIEV, has also quickly gained recognition in the new energy market. According to the latest statistics of the Association, Chery QQ Ice Cream's retail sales reached 11,687 units in March 2022, ranking fifth in the sales list of new energy cars in March 2022, and it is also a micro-electric vehicle that is very popular with consumers.
The popularity of micro-electric vehicles such as Hongguang MINIEV and Chery QQ Ice Cream is directly related to their low price and small and flexible. However, it is precisely because they are too small and have limited energy absorption space, so many people are skeptical of their safety performance, believing that they cannot give enough safety to the people in the car in traffic accidents.
In an environment where the market for micro-electric vehicles is increasing, it is particularly necessary to introduce evaluation procedures for micro-electric vehicles. A few days ago, the China Automobile Center officially issued the "Special Evaluation Procedures for Micro Electric Vehicles", the purpose of which is to promote the improvement of the safety performance of micro electric vehicles, while solving the pain points of user use, and ultimately promoting the healthy and sustainable development of micro electric vehicles.
What is the Special Evaluation Regulations for Micro Electric Vehicles?
The "Special Evaluation Regulations for Micro-Electric Vehicles" issued by the China Automobile Center was established under the framework of the C-NCAP and CCRT evaluation systems, so it consists of two parts, namely the C-NCAP special evaluation procedures and the CCRT special evaluation procedures.
Among them, the C-NCAP micro-electric vehicle special mainly evaluates the protection effect of micro-electric vehicles on the personnel in the car during the collision process, which is naturally the part that everyone is most concerned about. Perhaps considering that there are not many micro-electric vehicles equipped with driving assistance functions such as active braking and lane keeping assistance, China Automobile Evaluation has designated the active safety project as an optional audit project and does not participate in the final rating.
The CCRT micro-electric vehicle special project covers two first-level indicators of endurance charging and use safety, and there are two-level indicators such as room temperature endurance, low-temperature charging, charging safety, and hydropower safety under the first-level indicators, which is also the main evaluation content of the CCRT micro-electric vehicle special evaluation procedures.
Officials revealed that the "Special Evaluation Regulations for Micro Electric Vehicles" will be implemented on July 1, 2022, and the main evaluation objects are pure electric passenger cars with a body length of less than 4 meters, which naturally includes Hongguang MINIEV, Chery QQ ice cream and other models.
Micro-electric vehicles with bad grades must be cool?
People who pay attention to vehicle safety performance should know that the safety crash results of domestic new cars can have a huge impact on new car sales, of which the sharp decline in sales of hot-selling models after the release of the results of the China Insurance Research Institute is the best proof. So, as the most popular micro-electric vehicle at present, can the Hongguang MINIEV successfully pass the crash test?
In fact, as early as February 23, 2021, Hongguang MINIEV showed us its safety performance through a serious traffic accident. As a result, The Hongguang MINIEV could not withstand the violent collision of the Audi A4 and could not effectively protect the people in the car. As for those praises on the Internet about the safety of Hongguang MINIEV, it is often just a superficial ridicule.
Of course, in real life, there are also many cars of class A or above that are destroyed in traffic accidents, and they cannot survive the people in the car. But we need to know that the body of micro-electric vehicles such as Hongguang MINIEV and Chery QQ Ice Cream is smaller than that of A-class cars, and it is less dominant in collisions. Not to mention that their safety configuration is not very rich, can not provide enough safety for the personnel in the car.
If Hongguang MINIEV and Chery QQ Ice Cream participate in the crash test, it is likely that they will not be able to get too good reviews. Of course, it depends on how harsh the crash test is. If the test is not severe enough, the results may not play a role in supervising, but may allow more people to buy, driving the sales of Hongguang MINIEV and Chery QQ ice cream.
In short, micro-electric vehicles that have passed the test of the "Special Evaluation Procedures for Micro Electric Vehicles" will naturally be bright in the future, and it is not difficult for sales to soar. If you can't pass the test, then there is a high probability that you will be eliminated by the market and use the opponent as a stepping stone.
In addition to allowing us to see the real safety of existing micro-electric vehicles on the market, the "Special Evaluation Procedures for Micro-Electric Vehicles" also has a great role, that is, to make latecomers pay more attention to safety and use pain points, and to enhance the possibility of latecomers to obtain good results in other international evaluations.
In the face of the hot sales of Hongguang MINIEV and Chery QQ ice cream, Changan Automobile can't hold back and is ready to launch a new micro pure electric vehicle - LUMIN in 2022. The new car has a wheelbase of 1980mm and a length, width and height of 3270/1700/1545mm, which is longer and wider than the MacroMIEV macaron, and the wheelbase is also larger.
Under the influence of the "Special Evaluation Regulations for Micro Electric Vehicles", lumin with a rounded and cute appearance is likely to carry more safety configurations, have a safer body, and give more safety to the people in the car. Otherwise, LUMIN would struggle to get too good a rating in crash tests. If the safety of LUMIN is only the same as that of Hongguang MINIEV, it is difficult to surpass the mountain of Hongguang MINIEV.
It can be seen that the arrival of the "Special Evaluation Procedures for Micro Electric Vehicles" has set a not low safety threshold for future micro electric vehicles, and this is also one of the ways they surpass their predecessors. However, a higher safety threshold often means higher car construction costs. When the starting price of future micro-electric vehicles skyrockets, will consumers still pay? Maybe time will soon tell us the answer.
Any vehicle has to face the level of safety testing, and if it does not pass, it is likely to be abandoned by consumers and become a member of the losing camp. For micro-electric vehicles that do not have an advantage in terms of body size, crash tests are undoubtedly a huge test. However, after passing the test, micro-electric vehicles also have the opportunity to usher in a surge in sales. In short, the "Special Evaluation Regulations for Micro Electric Vehicles" is a strict examination of micro electric vehicles, which will screen out the micro-electric vehicles that are most beneficial to consumers and make the micro-electric vehicle market develop in a healthier direction.