Reporter 丨 Lin Andong
Image source 丨 provided by the interviewee
To ask which domestic electric car is the hottest, I think everyone will not hesitate to say the name "Hongguang MINIEV".
According to the sales report data released by SAIC-GM-Wuling, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV sold more than 30,000 vehicles in July this year, winning the sales championship of China's new energy single model for 11 consecutive months.
Most people's impression of the car is "good-looking" and "cost-effective", but few people know the development story behind this car.
One of the most life-saving technologies
"Now, some consumers are confused when they hear the names of features such as ESC (Vehicle Electronic Stability Control System) and ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), which can greatly improve the safety factor and driving convenience of vehicle handling. Wuling Hongguang MINIEV the relevant system of this car is what we do matching. Deng Haiyan, director of the ESC product division of Qingdu Technology, said.
According to research by the U.S. Highway Safety Administration, ESC as a standard configuration can effectively reduce 34% of car accidents, 71% of car overturning accidents, and SUVs can even reduce the bicycle accident rate by 59%. ESC has been called by many as "the most life-saving technology after the invention of seat belts".
According to Deng Haiyan, ESC can analyze the vehicle driving status information transmitted from various sensors, and achieve control through various core algorithms to help vehicles maintain dynamic balance. "To give some simple examples, such as the ABS function, it can ensure that the wheels will not be locked once the wheels are locked when the driver takes emergency braking, by performing independent braking control of each brake, because once the wheels are locked, the direction cannot be controlled. Another example is TCS (Traction Control System), which can transfer the driving torque to the non-skidding drive wheel by actively distributing the braking force when the drive wheel is skidding on one side. ”
Deng Haiyan said frankly: "The technology and market related to ESC have always been dominated by several international giants, such as Bosch, Trina and Continental. Car companies often face R&D costs of up to tens of millions of yuan, slow response to technical support and 'black box' delivery. In the context of the rapid development of today's autonomous driving, the development of ANSC systems with independent intellectual property rights and the breaking of the monopoly of international suppliers is the only way for SAIC to realize the independent development of intelligent driving. ”
Independent research and development, international leading
In 2018, led by Lianchuang Electronics, The SC technology research team of Kinus Technology came into being.
"When we first started to study the ESC core algorithm, we found that there was a lack of calibration control units that could support large data transmission, and there was no way to achieve real-time online calibration and matching on the whole vehicle, forming a closed loop of research and development. Therefore, we independently designed a laptop-sized control unit prototype, and then through iterative updates, the integration is higher, and the size has changed from 'big computer' to 'small lunch box'. ”
In addition, car companies may make some adjustments to the parts of the model during the development of the vehicle, which means that the vehicle needs to be re-calibrated. If this matter is entrusted to some overseas companies, the whole process takes at least 1 to 2 months. Deng Haiyan said: "We are now working with customers in depth, which greatly shortens the time-consuming time of such scenarios. For example, if the customer wants to adjust the parameters of the suspension spring, we will directly let the customer drive the vehicle to run some specific working conditions, and the assessment conclusion can be drawn by evaluating the change of the dynamic parameters of the vehicle such as characteristic speed. It is understood that all the core components of The Dynamite Technology ESC, such as ECU controller, solenoid valve design, pump motor selection and other mechanical parts, production and manufacturing processes, etc. are completely independently developed by the project team, with complete independent intellectual property rights, and the product can save tens of millions of yuan for car companies.
In 2019, a project team of "industrialization development of body stability control systems" composed of SAIC-GM-Wuling, Lianchuang Electronics and Qingdu Technology was established, which also means that the ESC project officially began to move towards the road of industrialization and marketization. "Because we want the new car to be available in 2020, the time is very tight. We have shared the relevant experience of previous cooperation with international giants to other project members, and then formulated the corresponding vehicle interaction specifications, communication specifications, diagnostic specifications, etc., so that the project can be promoted faster and more orderly. The relevant person in charge of SAIC-GM-Wuling introduced.
Outbreak assault
Since the launch of the project in 2019, the team members have been riveted and the project has been carried out as planned. However, at the beginning of last year, due to the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the winter calibration of the project team that was originally going to Heihe encountered obstacles. In the face of the unpredictable new energy vehicle market, Wuling brand new cars obviously cannot miss this winter. "Despite the epidemic, this market opportunity is too rare and I have to go." Tian Feng, head of technology at Qingdu Technology, said, "Our team set off for Heihe on the third day of the Chinese New Year, but Heihe's original test site was closed. Later, we managed to contact a closed test track to successfully complete the winter calibration. ”
"In the past, we did calibration, and in the face of such an urgent project, we needed to communicate in time and discuss solutions when we encountered problems. This winter calibration has been affected by the epidemic, stipulating that a car can only sit one person and cannot communicate face-to-face. Deng Haiyan said, "At that time, the requirements of the test track were very strict, and if you wanted to discuss the problem, you had to go back to the room and use the online way." "With the COVID-19 pandemic at its back, the calibration team's work has been a little tougher." Although the efficiency is reduced, in fact, our winter calibration time is shorter than usual. Deng Haiyan said, "Originally at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the Heihe River was dark, and it was generally not calibrated at night." But this time the situation was special, and the team members borrowed searchlights from the test field, calibrated with lights at night, and raced against time. ”
The calibration team finally completed all the calibration tests within the specified time limit, laying a solid foundation for the listing of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV. The project of "Industrialization Development of Body Stability Control System" also won the first prize of "SAIC 2021 Technology Innovation Award" this year.