Soon after, Dongfeng Fengshen released the Mach electric hybrid PHREV, what are the characteristics of this new plug-in hybrid? Why do you add an "R" in the middle of the PHEV? With these questions, I came to Yunnan Maitreya for a field experience. What makes me very happy is that the Fengshen L7 equipped with Mach electric hybrid PHREV has a pure electric range of 205 kilometers from the manufacturer, and my cumulative result is 318 kilometers, an extra 113 kilometers.
In July 2023, I experienced the vastness of Dongfeng Fengshen, which is powered by Mach electric hybrid DH-i, and has performed quite well in three aspects: smoothness, acceleration and fuel economy.
The Dongfeng Fengshen L7 experienced this time is very close to Haohan, and it is also a compact SUV, the difference is in the power, Haohan is a petrol-electric hybrid, and Fengshen L7 is a plug-in hybrid, which can be on the green card and enjoy preferential treatment of new energy policies. The car made its debut on March 31, 2024, and is expected to start pre-orders at the Beijing Auto Show, which opens on April 25, and as for the official launch, it should not be too long, estimated to be in the middle of this year.
The exterior and interior of the Fengshen L7 are completely redesigned, and there is almost no shadow of vastness to be found except for the rear. Among them, the front of the car has become closed, much like an electric car - in order to express its characteristics, it can be oiled and electric, and electricity is the mainstay.
Why multiple "R's"?
The English abbreviation of plug-in hybrid is PHEV, and Dongfeng calls Mach's plug-in hybrid PHREV, with an extra "R", which means technological innovation, worry-free mileage, multi-mode integration, and safety and reliability.
PHREV：一车两用。
When it comes to plug-in hybrids, a few words are verbose - originally, in order to reduce emissions, gasoline-electric hybrids were invented. Subsequently, a more radical approach was to pick up the electric vehicles that had been popular for a while a hundred years ago and redesign them with new batteries that greatly increased their range. It looks very beautiful, but in winter, or at high speed, the battery life is at least discounted.
It is not only environmentally friendly, but also convenient to use, not to artificially create trouble because of environmental protection, and not to add blockage to itself because of fuel saving. The solution to this contradiction, at this stage, can only be hybrid.
As long as it does not run long distances, it is basically an electric vehicle, and it has both series and parallel, that is, range extension and gasoline-electric hybrid, which is dual-purpose for one vehicle, and completely avoids the shortcomings of pure electric vehicles.
PHREV composition: The structure is quite simple.
The Mach hybrid PHREV consists of a 1.5-liter engine, a generator, an electric motor, a power battery, and an electronic control.
PHREV's features: It combines the strengths of all families and is very efficient.
Although the structure is simple, it has 7 energy management modes: parking power generation, pure electric drive, energy recovery, series drive, multi-gear direct drive, multi-gear parallel, and power splitting. If we further subdivide the working mode, there are as many as 26 types. According to the manufacturer's data, the efficiency of the system is 93%, and the utilization rate of the high-efficiency zone is as high as 95%.
The more common forms of hybrid power are series, parallel and power splitting, in which series is range extension, which relies on the engine to drive the generator, then transmits the electricity to the motor, and finally relies on the motor to drive the wheels.
Parallel connection is simply understood as the combined drive of the engine and electric motor, but the hybrids that have emerged in recent years are basically connected in series and parallel at the same time.
As for the power split, it was Toyota's first mass-produced one, which relied on planetary gears to coordinate the work of the engine, engine and electric motor to suit different conditions.
The Mach hybrid PHREV combines all of the above, which can be described as the best of all families.
Freve的实物:风神l7.
Open the compartment cover of the Fengshen L7, you can see that the left side is the engine, and the right side is the electric part. The biggest highlight of this 1.5T hybrid engine is its thermal efficiency of 45.18%. According to the manufacturer, Dongfeng reserve technology has achieved a thermal efficiency of more than 47%, and it is expected to exceed 48% in 2026.
Anyone who knows a little about engines should know the technical content behind these figures.
The efficiency is so high, mainly due to the adoption of 4 new technologies.
1. Variable section turbocharging technology. The technology originated in racing and is the key to power boost.
2. The exhaust gas recirculation rate rises to 30%. It is said that most of the peers have this indicator at around 25%.
3. The high-pressure injection is divided into 4 times, and the interval between the pulse width of the injection is less than 0.8 milliseconds, so as to ensure that the fuel injection is fine, accurate and uniform.
4. The piston is only 184 grams, which is 6 grams lower than the industry level. This lightweight minimizes frictional losses.
The electric part includes the electric motor, the generator, and the relatively simple connection architecture. In terms of power, the maximum net power of the engine is 110 kilowatts, and the maximum power of the drive motor is 100 kilowatts.
The lithium iron phosphate battery is hoisted on the chassis with a battery capacity of 30.2 kWh. According to the manufacturer, the material strength of the bottom of the battery is 1200 megapascals, and the internal support beam is 3.5 mm thick aluminum alloy, which is 1 mm thicker than common similar products. The sprinkler system is placed in the upper part, and in the event of extreme conditions such as thermal runaway, it can quickly cool down, with a maximum temperature drop of 80 degrees Celsius within 10 seconds.
I briefly measured it, and in the no-load state, the minimum ground clearance of the chassis is about 185 mm.
The charging port is located at the rear right of the body, which is divided into AC slow charging and DC fast charging, according to the manufacturer's data, if DC fast charging is used, it takes about 26 minutes to charge from 30% to 80%.
One of the features of the PHREV is that the cruising range is reversed.
In terms of endurance, the comprehensive range is 1500 kilometers, and the pure electric range is 205 kilometers, as a comparison, Song Pro-DMI and Galaxy L7 are 110 kilometers and 115 kilometers respectively, that is to say, it is mainly electric, and the pure electric mileage is relatively long, which is the main feature of Fengshen L7.
To prove it, during the test drive, we had a race. Fully charge, drive in pure electric mode, and see who can run 205 kilometers. As a result, not only did I reach the finish line, but I also had 113 kilometers left in the electric range. Combined, I have a total of 318 kilometers.
Even though I drove fuel-efficient, which was different from my daily driving, I was still happy with the result because I liked the number 318. I would love to use it to run the Sichuan-Tibet 318 line once, and it would be great if I could really run from Chengdu to Lulang (about 1500 km) with a tank of fuel.
Just when I was complacent, the news came that there were two people with 320km and 319.8km and I was only in third place. Behind me, there were 310 km, 304 km and 302 km, and even the last place, 213.7 km. In other words, all of them exceeded the manufacturer's calibration of 205 kilometers.
In the electric vehicles that have been tested in recent years, the better results are that the mileage is very close to the manufacturer's calibration, and it is rare to exceed the calibration so much. Dongfeng Fengshen's move can be regarded as a "reverse false standard".
PHREV features the second feature: it costs 8 cents per kilometer.
After the power consumption, let's look at the fuel consumption – one of the advantages of the hybrid is the low fuel consumption. According to the manufacturer's data, the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 3.8 liters (NEDC standard) in the fed state, and the combined fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 0.56 liters (WLTC standard) in the non-fed state.
According to the manufacturer, if you charge at home, its lowest cost per kilometer is about 8 cents, and charging at the charging station is slightly more expensive, about 1 cent4.
In addition to the long all-electric range and low fuel consumption, it also left 6 impressions on me:
First, the acceleration is powerful, and the acceleration process is very linear.
Every time you step on the accelerator deeply, there is a feeling of special pleasure and comfort, overtaking is very easy, to say some exaggeration, it is basically a second pass. In fact, it's the advantage of electric motor drive, which many trams have. And its characteristics lie in dual-use, or pure electric, or hybrid, if set to hybrid mode, step on the floor oil, the engine will quickly intervene after starting, the combined force of oil and electricity, horsepower increased sharply.
Whether it's a calm acceleration or a sharp acceleration, the process is very linear. Also, during the test drive, I didn't notice any setbacks, not a single one.
Second, diesel-electric hybrid, mainly electric.
Even if the energy mode is set to hybrid, it behaves like an electric car, relying on electricity from start to finish, and the engine is like a decoration, resting until the battery is too low, and the engine starts quietly. Interestingly, unless you look down at the gauge, you can't detect it at all - according to the manufacturer, after the engine starts, the noise increases by only 1 decibel.
Third, the comfort is pretty good.
Electric drives, although they have advantages in terms of acceleration, are prone to motion sickness. Fengshen L7 is positioned as a family, not a racing car that simply pursues speed, so the manufacturer will set some values in acceleration before vertigo occurs to ensure that the acceleration process is smooth, so that drivers and passengers can enjoy electric drive while avoiding vertigo.
Another reason for the comfort is the low noise level and the quiet interior.
Fourth, the chassis is sporty and has a strong texture.
Since I test-drove Yixuan in 2022, I have been full of affection for Fengshen's chassis. After all, the Fengshen team has won the championship in recent years, and the manufacturer has accumulated the technology on the track for civilian vehicles, which brings a different and good handling.
The core value of the car lies in the chassis and power, even if the electric car, the power part is relatively simple, and the chassis part cannot be bypassed in any way. The new car-makers are lacking in this area, so they will try to equate the car with the mobile phone, and hope that the younger generation of consumers will accept it.
But in reality, a car is first and foremost a running machine. Everything else is based on running.
Fifth, the settings are relatively rich.
The driving modes are divided into Standard, Economy, and Sport. Steering assistance is divided into Standard, Comfort, and Sport. There is a noticeable difference in throttle response between the former, but I think the latter may be more practical, whether you prefer to be "lighter" or "heavier".
Sixth, the driving assistance is relatively complete, reaching the L2 level.
The car's driving assistance is L2, the main content is adaptive cruise, lane keeping, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, merging assist, door opening warning, automatic emergency braking, and so on. And it has a vehicle FOTA upgrade.
The 360-degree panoramic image and the 180-degree transparent chassis are also available, with good clarity and satisfactory image quality.
Final summary: another level.
In 2017, I drove the Dongfeng on a 10,000-mile trip from the Northeast Rime to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, and its smoothness, comfort and reliability left me with an unforgettable impression.
In 2023, when you experience Haohan, you will see that its technology is on the next level, with better smoothness, improved performance, and reduced fuel consumption.
This time, in 2024, the Fengshen L7 has reached another level, and it allows you to fully enjoy the thrill of electric drive without range anxiety.