The Chinese giant BYD, number 2 in electric cars in the world behind Tesla, is taking advantage of the Guangzhou show to present cutting-edge technologies through its high-end brand YangWang. Enough to make electric cars almost obsolete in the rest of the world.
The Guangzhou 2023 show has just opened its doors this Friday, November 17. The opportunity for Chinese manufacturers to present their new models, GAC Aron Hyper HT, Leapmotor C10, Xpeng head that some of them could land with us one day. Banco: the four cars mentioned above should arrive in Europe in the coming months.
However, beyond these new developments, the technologies of the future are also presented there. And in this area, China clearly remains one step ahead of the Old Continent and intends to let us know it. Like the giant BYD which unveiled its new SUV in the aisles of the show, the Sea Lion 07, which directly competes with the Tesla Model Y.
But the world number 2 in electric cars also and above all takes advantage of its YangWang brand to present to us technologies of the future, among the most advanced at the show.
Vector Control Steering
To put it in context, YangWang is the high-end brand in the BYD galaxy. The one that has already given birth to two of the most impressive models on the market, the U9 supercar and the enormous U8 SUV. Two segments on which the brand continues its research as proven by the studies presented in Guangzhou.
The first takes the form of an SUV. Or rather an SUV skeleton. We can sense massive lines, while the structure evokes a certain robustness and rigidity. It looks pretty much like the naked U8. The aim of this concept is to show steering, acceleration and even braking which are absolutely not traditional.
Here these three functions pass through the four motors which are housed in the wheels. One motor per wheel therefore. And YangWang has developed a vector control system for these motors to allow the car to accelerate, brake and even turn, only by acting on the speed of each wheel!
Everything goes through electricity. This is BYD’s e4 technology which allows each wheel to turn at a different torque to control the vehicle’s trajectory. It calculates the steering angle desired by the driver via the steering wheel, and it is a computer which distributes the torque necessary in the front wheels to turn left or right. Remember, this is what allows the U8 to move forward like a crab or turn around!
For braking, here too it is the four motors of e4 technology which do the work by sliding in reverse, like a one-pedal mode that many electric vehicles already offer, via regenerative braking. A few days ago, the German equipment manufacturer ZF also announced that it was working on a similar braking system.
In addition to recovering energy which can increase the range of an electric car, this technology is also particularly efficient with a maximum deceleration of 1.0 G. At 60 km/h, the car thus equipped does not need only 20 meters to come to a complete stop, without the aid of mechanical brakes.
This technological demonstration helps prove that this type of system is useful in terms of security. If you lose your steering or brakes, the electric motors can bring you to a stop in complete safety.
Remember that the BYD YangWang U8 is even capable of floating and sailing like a boat on water. Always thanks to this same technology.
The future supercar is almost here
YangWang will also take advantage of the Guangzhou show to present a second concept, this time not of a vehicle strictly speaking, but of a platform. The one that will equip the brand’s future most efficient cars. Starting with his U9. What’s special about this chassis/battery assembly?
Offer very high rigidity and resistance to torsion (54.425 Nm/°). Essential features for a high-performance car to offer safer and more efficient driving. You have to have that when you have more than 1,300 horsepower!
YangWang takes the opportunity to give some figures which will perhaps reassure future customers while electric supercars and hypercars are not yet commonplace and many things remain to be invented in the segment. And if we had to wait for the Tesla Roadster to look at the next-class copy, we wouldn’t have finished…
YangWang therefore carried out its tests and used more than 100 test vehicles just to develop the supercar platform, tested in some 96 safety exercises. And the tests are still underway, the brand said.