Creating an electric smart car that benefits all users and embracing a new era of full marketization of new energy vehicles

(December 7, 2023, Haikou) At the main forum of the "2023 World New Energy Vehicle Conference" held today, Zu Xijie, Vice President and Chief Engineer of SAIC, delivered a speech, sharing with the guests SAIC's exploration and practice in the development of new energy vehicles in the full market.

The development of new energy vehicles is the common social responsibility of enterprises to fulfill their green and low-carbon mission. New energy vehicles will greatly promote the energy revolution and the automobile revolution to achieve two-way efficient synergy, and will also greatly promote the automobile industry chain to achieve comprehensive green and low-carbon in-depth change. The development of new energy vehicles is a path of value creation for the mutual integration and progress of multiple industrial ecosystems. The development direction of new energy vehicles is to become intelligent terminals with strong traction and driving force, which will surely be deeply integrated with emerging industries, producing fission effects and forming a new industrial ecology. The development of new energy vehicles is a market development vehicle for technological innovation to promote user satisfaction. New energy vehicles to continue to develop and grow in the global market, technological innovation to effectively meet user needs is very critical.

Inclusive electric smart cars to drive the full marketization of new energy vehicles

In terms of market trends, electric smart cars for universal users will accelerate the penetration of the global new energy vehicle market. In 2022, the global penetration rate of new energy vehicles (pure electric + plug-in hybrid) entered the double-digit range for the first time, reaching 13.4%, and in January-October 2023, it was 15.5%. According to the forecast, by 2030, the global sales of new energy vehicles will exceed 41 million units, with a penetration rate of about 50%, which is about 4 times and 3.7 times of that of 2022, respectively.

From the perspective of industrial evolution, electric smart cars that benefit users will accelerate technology iteration and realize industrial quality upgrading. The increasing market scale of new energy vehicles will promote the upstream industries such as power batteries, automotive-grade semiconductors, and controllers to evolve towards better overall performance and lower overall costs.

Zu Xijie emphasized that "strong brand, buy save, use well, is the main characteristics of the whole vehicle products of universal users".

Aiming at the globe to create electric smart cars for universal users. From January to October this year, China's cumulative automobile exports amounted to 3.9 million, and for the whole year, it is expected to become the world's No. 1 automobile exporting country for the first time. Supported by heavyweight models such as MG4, ZS and HS, SAIC's overseas sales are expected to reach 1.2 million units this year. In order to better serve local customers, SAIC has already started the site selection for its European vehicle manufacturing base, striving to realize local manufacturing, local sales and local service. Next year, the MG brand will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and will continue to be close to user needs and continue to export electric smart models for global users, so that "Made by SAIC" can benefit global consumers.

Combine scenarios to create an electric smart car that benefits all users. According to different regions and different usage scenarios, SAIC launches new energy vehicles with different drive solutions to meet users' needs for more economical and safer vehicles. In terms of pure electric vehicles, according to the principle of "energy closed loop", SAIC has optimized the R&D of the entire vehicle in terms of low-resistance design, lightweight, integrated thermal management, low-voltage loads, etc., and challenged the record of pure electric vehicle energy consumption of 9.5km/kWh, so that the users can spend the least amount of electricity and run farther. In terms of hybridization, a new generation of DMH super hybrid system is launched, which, through modular, integrated and exclusive design, allows new energy vehicles to be used in a wider coverage area, so that users can not only lose their mileage anxiety, but also get a good electric experience. In the next three years, SAIC will raise the thermal efficiency of the hybrid drive system to 47%, so that users can run farther with the least amount of money. In terms of fuel cells, based on the experience of the demonstration operation in the past two years, SAIC will soon launch high-power, long-life and high-efficiency fuel cell stacks for long-distance and heavy-duty commercial vehicle scenarios, which will effectively promote carbon emission reduction of commercial vehicles, especially long-distance and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and help push forward the construction of the hydrogen highway.

Technical innovation to create an electric smart car that benefits users. On the one hand, SAIC adheres to the principle of "Scene Creates Value, Data Determines Experience, and Software Defines Vehicle", and actively researches and develops core technologies such as "Centralized Computing + Regional Control" Full Stack 3.0 Smart Vehicle Solution, "Vehicle Central Coordinated Motion Controller (VMC)", and so on. We are actively working on core technologies such as "Central Computing + Regional Control" full-stack 3.0 intelligent vehicle solution, "Vehicle Central Coordinated Motion Controller (VMC)", etc., so as to balance the low cost and strong experience of the whole vehicle through the enhancement of the whole vehicle's electronic architecture and the integration of chassis control and to allow more users to choose more intelligent new energy vehicles. On the other hand, through the mass production application of semi-solid batteries in different models in the coming year, SAIC will realize the rapid iteration of semi-solid battery products and processes, and realize the reduction of power battery cost by nearly 30% while improving safety performance and energy density, so that users can choose more cost-effective new energy vehicles.