Since last year, plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) has shown a very rapid development momentum, in the first quarter of this year, the growth rate of PHEV reached 203.1%, more than the pure electric 128.5%, becoming the fastest growing electrified model category.
BYD has always been the big brother in the field of PHEV, after its DM-i series models tasted the sweetness, mainstream Chinese car companies began to follow up, the Great Wall DHT-PHEV, Changan iDD, Geely Raytheon Hybrid, Chery Kunpeng DHT... Local blending technology has sprung up.
In the latest PHEV sales list, BYD's models almost dominate the list, but as other Chinese brands PHEV continue to list, there will be more new faces in this list.
With the emergence of more and more excellent local PHEVs like Changan UNI-K iDD, BYD will face no small challenge.
Under this wave of fierce attack, the market also began to appear a voice - "the real replacement of pure fuel vehicles, will be plug-in hybrid." ”
But is this really the case? How is oil-electric hybrid (HEV) ignored? It should be known that HEVs sold 586,000 vehicles in China last year, which is comparable to PHEVs (600,000 vehicles), which is based on the fact that the model variety is much less than the PHEV.
The pace of development of PHEV is indeed very fast, and new products are emerging in an endless stream, but does this mean that HEVs are useless? For ordinary users, which is more appropriate between PHEV and HEV?
PHEV actually has limitations
PHEV is no longer a new species, and the reason why it has risen rapidly in the past year is that many of the new models have solved the inherent pain points of PHEV in the past.
For example, the pure electric mileage has been significantly improved, the previous PHEV in the NEDC working conditions of pure electric endurance is generally only 50-60 kilometers, now the new car pure electric endurance can exceed 100 kilometers, some of the new products will be launched can reach more than 200 kilometers; and such as the poor electricity fuel consumption is significantly reduced, when the power is sufficient, it can be opened when the pure electric is opened, and the fuel consumption can be the same as the same level of HEV when the power is low.
The new generation of Tang DM-i pure electric endurance has reached 252 kilometers.
In terms of the price that consumers are most concerned about, the newly launched PHEV has also been well controlled, such as Changan UNI-K iDD, whose price (176,900-192,900) is less than 10,000 more expensive than the fuel version of the same configuration; the starting price of Qin PLUS DM-i is as low as 111,800, which is basically the same as that of pure fuel vehicles of the same level.
However, there are still some limitations in the actual use of PHEV. First of all, it can not be completely separated from the charging pile, the user to get the best car experience, or to ensure that the vehicle has sufficient power. Long-term use in the state of power, even if the fuel consumption is not high, the power performance and NVH are difficult to maintain with the full power state.
For THE PHEV to perform at its best, it is still necessary to ensure that the battery is fully charged.
And charging for PHEV is another troublesome thing, home has a fixed parking space is good, you can install private charging piles, if you want to charge at the public charging station, the cost is high, not to mention, but also with pure electric vehicles (BEV) to grab charging piles, over the years, car satisfaction will definitely plummet.
Theoretically, PHEV can technically achieve a car dual use, full power when the BEV opens, poor electricity when the HEV opens, but in fact, the vast majority of car owners are the latter situation. If so, why not buy a HEV outright?
HEV technology is stable, and it is not expensive!
Although PHEV has a longer pure electric range and can cover HEV in terms of function, this does not mean that the latter will be eliminated, on the contrary, HEV still has a strong vitality. One of the most important points is that the quality of heV's native models is generally higher.
The following table is last year's domestic sales of the top ten HEV models, aside from the power system, each model in the table, is a very representative product in their respective fields, sales in the same level in the long run to maintain a leading, and these models have basically undergone many vertical replacements, in the market has formed a distinct "model brand" effect, mature technology, good reliability, high retention rate, belongs to the closed eyes to buy will not be wrong car.
Moreover, these mainstream HEVs still have a high level of technology. Taking Toyota's THS hybrid system as an example, its electromechanical coupling through planetary gears has found a good balance in power, energy efficiency, and smoothness, and excellent reliability, from 1997 to the present, the THS system has not had any large-scale technical failure problems.
How reliable is the Toyota Hybrid? Look at Prius, you know that in Canada, the second generation of Prius once set a record of 1.5 million kilometers without major repairs.
In today's electrification technology blooming, Toyota THS technology route still has a very high technical barriers, although Toyota has disclosed the technology patent of the first generation of THS in 2017, but so far almost no car company has created the same structure of the system through self-research (GM has launched a hybrid system similar to THS, but failed to obtain a wide range of spectrum), even GAC, which is closely related to Toyota, can only get THS technology through the introduction of purchase.
The current GS8 hybrid is equipped with Toyota's latest THS hybrid system.
Looking at the Honda i-MMD system, its working principle is very different from the Toyota THS, but the actual effect is very similar, and in some aspects (such as power, NVH) performance is even slightly superior. The technical idea of the i-MMD system with the motor as the main driving source has also become a reference object for some Chinese brands, such as the GREAT Wall's DHT hybrid, the structure is very similar to the Honda i-MMD, and the biggest difference between the two is only that the gearing of the hybrid gearbox is different.
Honda i-MMD hybrid system structure.
As consumers, technical issues really don't need to be studied too much, we buy a complete car, not just a powertrain. No matter which power type is used, the comprehensive product strength is always the most important, and the comprehensive product strength of a car is not only technology, quality, brand, word of mouth, but also the price.
When HEV first became popular, the price could be said to be ridiculously expensive. In 2010, when the Camry Hybrid was just domestically produced, the starting price was as high as 319,800, which was 36,000 more expensive than the top model of the fuel version, and now, the starting price of the latest Camry Hybrid version has been consistent with the 2.5L fuel version (also 219,800).
The relatively close price has allowed HEV to be popularized rapidly. In the case of Camry, for example, its dual-engine version accounted for a maximum of 55% of sales in the entire car series.
Honda Odyssey and Alexand have already achieved 100% hybridization.
On this basis, some HEV models have achieved a comprehensive replacement for pure fuel versions, such as Honda Odyssey and Accent, both of which are currently on sale 100% HEV versions, and the price range is also the same as the previous 2.4L fuel version.
Whether it is a HEV or a PHEV, there is the best adaptable model
Of course, we are not going to completely deny PHEV and then tout HEV, but we want everyone to know that different types of power systems have their best adaptation models, and do not blindly follow the trend due to policy orientation or some phased trends.
For some large-size models, such as medium and large SUVs, executive-class cars, full-size MPV, etc., it is indeed more important to use plug-in hybrid systems, larger battery capacity, higher comprehensive power, which can significantly reduce fuel consumption while bringing better power and NVH performance.
The new generation of BMW 7 in addition to the launch of pure electric version and pure fuel version, but also provide a plug-in hybrid version.
For the mainstream family cars of the B class (medium-sized car) and below, the oil-electric hybrid is a better power solution, which has a better power output texture than the pure fuel version, and can be relatively fuel-efficient, and there is no need to think about charging at all, and more critically, users do not need to spend more on the cost of car purchase, they can get a comprehensive improvement in the car experience.
The Accord Hybrid Edition is superior to its fuel version in terms of power performance, tranquility, smoothness, fuel economy, etc., and the starting price can be controlled within 200,000, which has a strong competitiveness in the field of B-class cars.
As for models below the A-class (compact), it is possible to continue to choose pure fuel power, after all, the fuel consumption is low enough, and there is no need to "mix". If there are higher requirements for the driving experience, and the range of cars is mainly in the urban area, it is actually a good choice to buy a reliable, practical and high-quality BEV.
Text | superman
(This article is the author's personal opinion only and does not represent the position of DearAuto.) )
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Mr. Li Guoyong of Guangdong Green Law Firm