Recently, Geely officially announced that it will launch a new generation of electric hybrid system based on its own Thor electric hybrid platform, and the new generation of Thor electric hybrid technology will be launched within this year.
Geely also said at its 2023 financial report that it hopes to make Raytheon hybrid technology the first in the industry in terms of performance, energy saving and intelligence, and is determined to build the world's strongest hybrid technology.
Technology iteration Raytheon electric hybrid shows Geely's strength
As early as 2021, Geely released the Thor electric hybrid technology platform. At that time, whether it was an engine with a thermal efficiency of 43.32%, the world's highest 3-speed DHT Pro, a fuel saving rate of more than 40%, and a full-power range FOTA, the six core hybrid technologies made Leishen electric hybrid become a star product in the market as soon as it came out.
In 2023, Geely will launch a new generation of Raytheon electric hybrid and Lynk & Co EM-P super extended range electric solution, which will focus on improving the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine of the hybrid system to 44.26%.
As domestic consumers prefer their own brand plug-in hybrid models, the three models that will only be launched in 2023, including the Galaxy L7, Galaxy L6 and Lynk & Co 08 EM-P, have helped Geely's plug-in hybrid products sales increase by 130% year-on-year, far exceeding the industry average.
For example, the Galaxy L7 equipped with the Thor electric hybrid system is equipped with a 1.5T plug-in hybrid engine and a 3-speed DHT Pro intelligent electric transmission composed of P1+P2 dual motors. This system can even support a catapult start, which shows that the power of this model should not be underestimated.
In addition, the Galaxy L7 accelerates from 000 kilometers in 6.9 seconds, the WLTC fuel consumption is 5.23L per 100 kilometers, and the CLTC comprehensive range is 1370km.
The thermal efficiency of the upcoming next-generation hybrid engine exceeds 46%, and it has been awarded the "Energy Efficiency Star" certification by the Huacheng Certification Center of China Automotive Research Institute. The engine, which will be mass-produced next year, is expected to be the most thermally efficient engine in the industry. Compared with the previous generation of Raytheon electric hybrid system, the maximum endurance of the new generation system will exceed 2,000 kilometers when fully charged and fueled, and the fuel consumption of the whole vehicle will enter the 2L era for 100 kilometers.
The hybrid battle has just begun
In 2023, BYD's global sales will exceed 3 million units, of which the DM-i plug-in hybrid model accounts for half of the country. In order to be able to cope with the new plug-in hybrid system launched by competitors, BYD is also updating its own plug-in hybrid system. The fifth-generation DM hybrid technology will achieve a fuel consumption level of 2.9 liters and a range of 2,000 km.
This year, BYD is also expected to launch two models, Qin L and Seal 06 equipped with fifth-generation DM technology. In terms of internal combustion engine, it will still be equipped with BYD's 1.5-liter dedicated engine for hybrids, with a maximum engine power of 74kW and an electric motor with a maximum power of 160kW. In terms of batteries, BYD will launch two options, namely lithium iron phosphate batteries with 15.874 kWh and 10.08 kWh.
On the whole, BYD will focus on the combination of low-power engine + high-power motor + small-capacity battery on the fifth-generation DM plug-in hybrid system. This combination will further consolidate its strategy of focusing on electric motors and supplemented by engines.
It is worth mentioning that in the gearbox, the fifth-generation BYD DM will usher in a major innovation. With the introduction of a two-row planetary geartrain that can provide two-speed transmission, the fifth-generation hybrid has been significantly improved compared to the previous generation in terms of power and fuel consumption.
If you look at it purely from the performance indicators, Geely and BYD plug-in hybrid are basically the same in terms of mileage, but Geely's fuel consumption is lower. Fuel consumption is mainly related to the level of engine design and the design of the whole vehicle including weight and wind resistance. Although the thermal efficiency of BYD's internal combustion engine is not low, Geely's engine has integrated all the internal combustion engine teams of Volvo and Renault, and it is better than BYD in terms of project experience and accumulation.
However, compared with performance indicators, in fact, if Geely wants to overtake BYD in the plug-in hybrid system, the key is still in cost control. This year, BYD launched the glory version of the model in the price has completely left behind the fuel vehicles of the joint venture car companies, of which the starting price of the Qin DM glory version is only 79,800 yuan, it is difficult not to make consumers tempted.
This has even led directly to the fact that Nissan, Toyota, and Hyundai are under very much pressure on entry-level sedans. For Geely, how to pursue the ultimate in cost will determine what kind of results its plug-in hybrid models can achieve in the future. Although many plug-in hybrid models in the Galaxy series have higher configurations, the price is also higher than that of BYD's models. If Geely wants to regain the sales championship of its own domestic brands, it still needs to sort out its own model layout.
Geely Chi is in the global hybrid market
At the 2023 annual results conference, Geely's senior management said that it will strive to become the world's largest and most technologically advanced hybrid engine company in the future. Through the successive integration of Volvo and Renault's engine business, Geely's engine business has its own considerable advantages in terms of technology and scale.
The ability to design and manufacture a dedicated hybrid engine with a thermal efficiency of more than 46% is in itself a testament to Geely's strong system capabilities in the field of internal combustion engines.
In addition to supplying Geely's internal Raytheon hybrid system to Geely such as Lynk & Co and Galaxy, Mercedes-Benz is also rumored to introduce this hybrid system to its CLA models to replace the internal combustion engine version of the old CLA, and become an important sales contributor to Mercedes-Benz along with the all-electric CLA based on Mercedes-Benz's latest MMA platform. As for Renault, Volvo, etc., there is also a certain chance of purchasing Geely Thor power systems.
Considering that electric vehicles are still subject to battery-related constraints in the actual use process, hybrid technology will become an important technical route for medium and long-distance travel for a long time. This trend is not only observed in China, but also in the United States, where consumers are gaining popularity for hybrid models, including General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, all of which are increasing the supply of plug-in hybrid models in the U.S. market.
Therefore, whether it is BYD, Geely, or other domestic independent brands, it is still necessary to continuously optimize and improve the performance of their plug-in hybrid systems in the long run.