By Oluwaseun Sonde
As one of the earliest independent vehicle companies in China to develop new energy vehicles, Chery commenced its research and design (R&D) of energy-saving vehicles as early as 1999, which has established complete R&D system of new energy technologies, including vehicle integration, core technologies and core component development capabilities.
Today, the development of the new energy automotive industry has become a national strategy, and China’s automotive industry is rapidly developing towards electric transformation.
Seeing electric transformation as an important opportunity to “change lanes and overtake”, Chinese brands while taken the lead in launching a series of electric products and realizing rapid iteration, striving to achieve the leap from a "follower of technology" to a "leader of technology".
Chery New Energy is a pioneer in the field of new energy vehicles. Through unremitting efforts in R&D for more than ten years, it has taken the lead in making breakthroughs in the field of lightweight technology, realized the low-cost and green mass production of new energy passenger vehicles based on “lightweight aluminum materials”, and created a new model for constantly promoting the technological progress of the automotive industry.
Since its development of aluminum-based composite vehicle bodies in 2015, Chery has cooperated with a number of scientific research institutes on national projects, accumulated substantial technical achievements and developed related experimental equipment.
With the deepening of such work, Chery decided to establish a lightweight technology laboratory. In March 2020, Chery New Energy was certified as a “Key Laboratory of Anhui Province in Lightweight Technology of New Energy Vehicles".
Chery New Energy Small Ant, the leader of the A000 battery electric vehicle (EV)segment, is the benchmark for lightweight EVs and the first battery EV among independent Chinese brands to be built with an all-aluminum lightweight body. This bodywork structure reduces the weight of the whole vehicle by 40% compared with traditional vehicles.
Chery’s "3R-BODY" structural design can not only effectively ensure driving safety, but also contribute to the lightweight and maneuverability of the whole vehicle, thus effectively extending the cruising range. Since its launch in 2017, Chery New Energy Small Ant has undergone four evolutions and set a number of records: China's first EV created through positive independent development; the first battery EV built with an all-aluminum lightweight body; China’s first two-door four-seat battery EV with a cruising range of more than 300 km; the first battery EV with an automatic parking function; the best-selling battery EV in its market segment; and the battery EV model with the highest penetration rate in shared mobility.
The end of 2019 saw the official launch of the S61, Chery New Energy's first all-aluminum lightweight battery electric SUV. As a core strategic model of Chery New Energy, the S61 integrates the latest cutting-edge technology with consumer demands and aesthetic trends. The launch of the S61 (later renamed “Ant”) provides users with a smarter and greener choice of mobility.
The Chery New Energy team led the project "Key Technologies and Equipment for Short Process R&D and Manufacturing of Aluminum-based Lightweight New Energy Passenger Vehicles", which won the first prize at the China Automotive Industry Awards for Science and Technology in 2020. This award proves that Chery New Energy has established a complete independent intellectual property system covering the key technologies, equipment and short processes of the R&D and manufacturing of aluminum-based lightweight bodywork.
Chery’s world-leading system effectively promotes the technological progress of the industry and further accelerates the arrival of the green manufacturing era. In terms of future technology planning, Chery has formulated the "457" technology development plan which consists of four new energy product platforms, five general subsystems and seven core technologies including battery EVs, hybrid vehicles, extended range EVs, fuel cells and so on.
Chery's new energy products will gradually cover various market segments in the future, including Class A to Class C cars and Class B to Class D SUVs, covering plug-in hybrid vehicles, battery EVs, extended-range EVs, electric four-wheel-drive vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
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