Malaysia-bound Chery unveils new powertrains: HEV, PHEV, and EV to launch by 2024
Arvind · Jun 14, 2022 02:23 PM
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As part of its strategy to become a global automotive player, Malaysia-bound Chery has entered the latest phase of its powertrain strategy that will encompass internal combustion and new generation powertrains for upcoming models over the next few years.
Dubbed the 'All-Domain Power Architecture', the overarching project highlights a range of new "Fourth Generation" high-efficiency engines as well as hybrid, EV and PHEV powertrains - aimed at giving Chery an edge against competitors such as Geely.
In tracing the timeline, currently, three of the company’s fourth-generation engines have completed thermodynamic development and are in the bench calibration phase, while the development of the first fifth-generation engine has been green-lighted. The design of this state-of-the-art engine is expected to be finalised by end-June 2023 before it makes its way to a production vehicle by 2024.
This turbocharged 1.5-litre dedicated hybrid engine features direct injection, an i-HEC 4.0 intelligent high-efficiency combustion system and low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology to achieve an industry-leading thermal efficiency of 43.9 percent The preliminary research programme on high-efficiency engines, adopting pre-chamber jet ignition and lean-burn technologies, has met its target of above 45 percent thermal efficiency in the laboratory.
In May 2021, Chery unveiled its Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT), which features dual motors, nine operating modes, 11 gear combinations and a twin-shaft drive, making it the first of its kind amongst Chinese brands.
Barely a year later, in February 2022, a national key R&D project headed by Chery – the ‘new-type, cost-effective, passenger car powertrain development & vehicle integration project’ – passed project acceptance in Wuhu, China. The outcome of the project was Chery’s first-generation DHT – 3DHT125 – which found its way into the Tiggo 8 Pro e+.
The first application of the Chery DHT Super Hybrid system is featured in the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro e+ flagship model.
In March 2022, Chery’s 'Dedicated Hybrid Engine (DHE) development’ project, another national key R&D project, passed the appraisal of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. This project focuses on research into high-compression ratio deep Miller cycle and high lean-burn combustion to benefit Chery’s fourth- and fifth-generation engines.
The company will further optimise its three-speed DHTs for mid-sized plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) while developing a single-speed DHT for compact and sub-compact PHEVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV).
Chery’s powertrain matrix does not end at fuel engines and hybrids. In 2017, the company launched the fully-electric Chery EQ1 with high acclaim owing to its design and innovative packaging.
And in 2019, Chery exhibited its third-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with 30 kW fuel cell stacks that can be topped up with hydrogen in three minutes, allowing a range of over 700 km.
Chery has also acquired the ability to develop electric control units for the engine (ECU), hybrid system (HCU) and motor (MCU), and has deployed resources to develop core electric vehicle (EV) technologies including insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), silicon-carbide (SiC) integrated circuits and solid-state batteries.
Encompassing fuel, hybrid, electric and hydrogen energies, Chery’s All-Domain Power Architecture covers every known roadmap for automotive power technologies in the next 30 years, with the immediate focus being complete self-development of electric products.
Last we reported, the Chinese carmaker is due to make its return to Malaysia by the third quarter of 2022 at the earliest. The first few models to be launched here could be imported from Indonesia with the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro among the models that were announced for assembly in the archipelago.
Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.
