[Aika car shopping guide original]
Since the 21st century, platform strategy has become the main theme of the automotive industry. Thanks to the Volkswagen Group, the modular platform has spread rapidly, and PQ35 and MQB have become the talk of car fans for a while. Today, if a car company does not have a platform to get its hands on, it is difficult to gain a foothold in the market battle. In the face of the suppression of overseas brands, Chinese brands have chosen "curve overtaking", focusing on new energy and trying to catch up with industry leaders.
As for the technical path, Chinese brands generally have two ideas: one is to adapt to the existing platform, which is commonly known as "oil to electricity"; the other is to work hard in advance, invest a lot of people, money and materials to develop an exclusive electric platform, and harvest it when the fruit is ripe.
In the painful period of transformation, car companies are generally more conservative and tend to adopt the "oil to electricity" scheme. At this stage, there are very few new energy exclusive platforms on the market. Fortunately, in recent years, traditional car companies have actively developed electrification technology, and the Changan Deep Blue EPA1 platform is one of the representatives. The key features of the EPA1 platform can be summarized as follows:
Changan New Energy has always given people a pragmatic impression. With its solid mechanical quality and people-friendly pricing strategy, BenBen E-Star has won market recognition. However, in the high-end market, Changan New Energy has not been able to gain a firm foothold. When the price rises to the level of 200,000 yuan, people not only need to be cost-effective, but also need leading technology and unique design. To this end, Changan Deep Blue has created an exclusive platform for new energy, EPA1. The Changan Deep Blue C385, which has recently appeared frequently, is the first model under the EPA1 platform.
Changan Deep Blue has two platforms, EPA0 and EPA1, and plans new models such as A158, C385 and C673. Among them, the C385 will be the first mass production car of Changan Deep Blue. Built on the EPA1 platform, the C385 is a mid-size car that supports multiple forms of energy replenishment. Key point: The accurate definition of Changan Navy EPA1 is an electric drive dedicated platform, rather than a pure electric exclusive platform often mentioned in the media.
The pure electric version of the C385 is expected to launch a variety of models, covering both endurance and power-oriented performance. Under CLTC conditions, the comprehensive cruising range of long-endurance models exceeds 700km. As for power, the C385 pure electric rear-drive version of the motor has a maximum power of 190 kW and an acceleration time of 5.9 seconds from 0-100 km/ 5.9 seconds. For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 rear-wheel drive version has a maximum power of 194kW, with an acceleration time of 0-100km/6.1 seconds.
Under the condition of full fuel and full power, the C385 extended range version of clTC has a comprehensive cruising range of up to 1200km, a pure electric comprehensive cruising range of more than 200km, and a lost fuel consumption of 4.5L/100km. The C385 hydrogen version of the CLTC has a comprehensive cruising range of up to 700 km, and the loss of power hydrogen consumption is 0.65kg/100km. For hydrogen-powered cars, the energy replenishment efficiency is naturally not a problem. However, the domestic hydrogen energy infrastructure is not yet perfect, and the market prospects remain to be seen.
Compatible with three forms of energy replenishment
In the early days of the automobile, the rear drive was the mainstream drive solution. As technology evolves, more and more family cars are using front-drive layouts, creating more seating space and storage space within a limited body size. In the field of electric vehicles, this conclusion no longer applies. Due to the compact size and flexible arrangement of the motor, the front/rear drive is no longer a core factor affecting the performance of the space.
The sporty style is not limited to the appearance, but also reflected in the chassis part. Officials said that the Changan Navy C385 uses H-arm multi-link rear suspension to achieve excellent wheel motion control. It is worth mentioning that Ford (Changan's joint venture partner) is keen on H-arm suspension and applies it to many models such as Explorer, Ruijie, and the old Mondeo. The H-arm has better spatial characteristics than the five-link bar and does not over-encroach on the luggage compartment space.
In terms of security, the EPA1 platform meets the 2021 edition of the C-NCAP five-star security standard. Specifically, the body adopts a five-horizontal and nine-longitudinal wrap-around design, and ultra-high and strong steel accounts for more than 45%. In addition, the platform also provides a full range of battery security protection, using iBC digital battery butler to achieve digital process control and vehicle + cloud BMS dual monitoring.
Editor's comments: Since 2021, Chinese brands have entered a new energy blowout period, with strong sales performance and many bright spots at the product level. With the EPA1 platform, Changan Deep Blue C385 has obtained a high technical starting point, and the power performance, chassis hardware, and electronic architecture have shown full sincerity. What's more, the rear-drive layout makes the "keyboard value" climb linearly, bringing a huge imagination space. If the chassis can be called out with characteristics, the C385 will be a work worth looking forward to.
The rear drive is the main four-wheel drive expansion