The main self-driving tour is light off-road! Take you to understand the dark blue G318

　　[Autohome]　informationIn June, it is the early summer season suitable for sightseeing, camping and picnicking. Deep Blue Motor also launched its own SUV product – G318 in a very timely manner, and the new car will be launched on June 13. As a famous highway into Tibet, G318 has always been the first choice of the majority of self-driving enthusiasts "must drive in this life". Deep Blue’s choice of this name is definitely not groundless. This car is built for the use scenario of self-driving light off-road. So which consumers is this car suitable for? Why is its four-wheel drive structure suitable for light off-road? Let’s take a look below!

Market positioning analysis: Which consumers is it suitable for?

　　For off-road-oriented new energy SUVs, "praise but not seat" is a problem that car companies must consider. The launch of a new energy off-road vehicle will inevitably cause heated discussions in the off-road circle and even the automotive circle, but this market segment is still relatively niche. Many off-road players still take a wait-and-see attitude towards new energy models, while for ordinary household users, off-road models are too expensive and not practical in cities. Coupled with the high research and development costs of off-road vehicles themselves, it is still difficult for manufacturers to earn money by hardening new energy off-road vehicles.

　　With the continuous development of Chinese brands in the field of new energy in recent years, some manufacturers have begun to try to develop new energy off-road vehicles, such as BYD’s first million-dollar luxury car – the Look Up U8. BYD built it to show off its muscles and demonstrate its strong R & D capabilities and technical reserves, so it must focus on the ultimate off-road performance. And the upcomingDark Blue G318(parameter|inquiry) is obviously not suitable for taking the hard-line off-road road, the dark blue brand is still in its infancy, and what it needs is a model that makes money. The G318 must consider the balance between price and off-road performance, and try to meet the needs of the vast majority of home users. Deng Chenghao, CEO of Deep Blue Automobile, previously said that the deep blue G318 is designed to solve consumer pain points. The traditional hard-line car has poor comfort, small space, and high energy consumption. Many defects will be solved on the deep blue G318.

　　From the four-wheel drive structure of the G318, it does have a certain off-road capability, but in general, the load-bearing body and this four-wheel drive system are not suitable for extreme off-road. We will explain the specific four-wheel drive structure for you below. The off-road capability of this car accurately points to light to moderate off-road and non-paved road driving scenarios such as self-driving camping and rural outings, covering the needs of the vast majority of SUV users.

　　From the market positioning point of view, as a medium and large SUV with extended range power and light off-road, the dark blue G318 has almost no competing models that can directly compete with it. However, if you look at the plug-in SUV, the positioning of the dark blue G318 is expected to be between Haval Raptor and Equation Leopard 5.

"Equation Leopard 5"

　　First look at the equation Leopard 5, its body size is similar to the G318, but the Leopard 5 is obviously more hardcore in terms of positioning. This car uses a non-load-bearing body, which is more biased towards the off-road end in the balance of city and off-road. And BYD’s DMO plug-in system structure and technology are more complex, which is destined to be higher in the price of this car, with a starting price of 289,800 yuan. There is some overlap in the positioning of the two, but it is not a completely competing model. The equation Leopard 5 is more suitable for users who pursue off-road performance. For those consumers who do not have high requirements for off-road performance and want to buy a cheaper SUV, the dark blue G318 may be a more worthy choice.

　　From the perspective of lower-priced competitors, the G318 and the Haval Raptor are also the main light off-road models, both of which use load-bearing bodies and are also "square box" models. However, the price range of the dark blue G318 will definitely be more expensive than the Haval Raptor’s 16.58-19 2,800 yuan. After all, the dark blue G318 is about 20 cm longer than the Haval Raptor and is positioned as a medium and large SUV.

"Haval Raptors"

　　Although the two cars have some differences in size positioning, they are more consistent in the characterization of the target user group, both pointing to users who love self-driving tours and have certain needs for vehicle passability, but do not pursue extreme off-road performance, and hope that the cost (fuel consumption) of self-driving tours is lower. In addition, as an extended range model, the G318 has a CLTC pure electric cruising range of 190km. For consumers who need more space and have higher requirements for pure electric cruising range, they may choose the dark blue G318.

"Toyota RAV4"

"Honda CR-V"

"Tiguan L"

　　If you look at all the same price SUV market, in fact, this car will form a competitive relationship with more joint venture brand SUVs. For example, Toyota Rongfang, Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Tiguan L and other models. Previously, for these consumers, this price may only buy a well-known brand and acceptable configuration of the city SUV, but the launch of the dark blue G318 has further enriched the SUV market around the 200,000, giving consumers a new choice for fun.

　　In addition, in addition to the four-wheel drive model, the dark blue G318 will also offer a rear-drive version. In fact, for some consumers, they just like the tough and domineering appearance of the square box off-road vehicle, but they are not interested in off-road, and only drive on paved roads. The launch of the rear-drive version has given these consumers a new choice, which has also lowered the starting price of the G318, which will help to further increase its sales.

Four-wheel drive system analysis: why it is suitable for light off-road

　　The dark blue G318 uses a dual-motor four-wheel drive system, with one motor on each of the front and rear axles, a differential lock on the rear axle, and a "central stepless differential lock". In fact, as can be seen from the chassis structure diagram, the middle of the chassis of the new car is completely occupied by the battery pack, there is no transmission shaft, and it is impossible to have a mechanical differential lock structure. Therefore, the central differential lock officially promoted is just a concept. The actual principle is to detect the driving and skidding of the front and rear axles through sensors, and then precisely control the front and rear motors to achieve a driving effect similar to opening the central differential lock of a fuel car. The official name is torque stepless distribution.

"Dark blue G318 four-wheel drive structure, the left side is the front direction"

　　However, in fact, this set of stepless torque distribution is that the motor output of the front and rear axles is adjusted between 0-100%. For example, if the front axle slips, the power of the front axle motor cannot be transmitted to the rear wheels with adhesion. In terms of driving characteristics, there are still some differences from the central differential lock that turns the front and rear axles into hard connections on fuel vehicles. This structure is more in line with the positioning of the car’s light off-road, not suitable for extreme off-road.

"G318 rear axle drive module, including differential lock"

　　The central differential lock is simulated, but the rear axle of the G318 is equipped with a solid mechanical differential lock. When one wheel is suspended or loses grip and idles, the locking differential lock allows power to be transmitted to the gripping wheel on the other side to help the vehicle get out of trouble. Generally speaking, more weight will be pressed on the rear axle when the vehicle is climbing, and the demand for the rear axle differential lock is higher. For the front axle, since the speed difference between the two front wheels is the largest during the steering process (theoretically, the direction should be avoided after locking the differential lock, but this is difficult to do in the actual off-road process), the locking differential lock is more likely to cause damage to the drive system, so the applicable conditions of the front axle differential lock are the most demanding, for example, the three differential locks in the Mercedes-Benz G-Class are opened in the order of middle-rear-front. Personally guess that for the above reasons, the dark blue G318 is not equipped with a front axle differential lock, but adopts an electronic brake slip limit system to realize the front axle slip limit function, which is more in line with its light off-road positioning.

"Looking up at U8"

　　Compared with the four-motor four-wheel drive used on the "off-road top flow" looking up at the U8, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the dual-motor four-wheel drive used on the dark blue G318? In the four-motor four-wheel drive power system, the wheel power on the left and right sides must be consistent when driving in a straight line, otherwise there will be "torque steering". When off-road, it is also necessary to precisely control the power of the motors on the left and right sides, which puts forward higher requirements for the motor control system. The research and development cost is relatively high, and the car will naturally sell more expensive. The dual-motor four-wheel drive does not have these problems. When driving on the paved road, the power distribution on the left and right sides is directly completed by the differential, which is conducive to cost control. It is more suitable for light off-road new energy vehicles such as the dark blue G318.

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　　Of course, as a low-cost electric four-wheel drive system, dual-motor four-wheel drive will definitely sacrifice some performance. For example, looking up at the U8 can achieve in-place U-turn by rotating the motors on the left and right sides in reverse. Although the dark blue G318 also has a in-place U-turn function, its principle is closer to the Leopard U-turn of the BYD equation Leopard 5. In the case of dead front wheel steering and one-sided rear wheel reversal, a small-radius U-turn can be realized. The actual U-turn radius will still be larger than that of the four-motor model. In addition, the four-motor four-wheel drive system can control the power of the four wheels individually, so the vehicle power can be more flexibly allocated in various modes of the all-terrain/off-road mode selection system to control the body attitude and driving trajectory, which is also one of its advantages.

　　From the body and suspension point of view, the dark blue G318 adopts a load-bearing body and is equipped with an air suspension system. The torsional stiffness of the load-bearing body is generally not as good as that of the non-load-bearing body, but the body is lighter, and the front suspension of the double wisharm structure can ensure that the new car has good handling on the paved road. Air suspension is also not suitable for extreme off-road, but its existence can greatly improve the driving comfort. This car has more attention to urban driving in terms of body structure and suspension, and the comfort and handling of daily driving are definitely better than those of hard-line off-road vehicles.

● Highlight configuration and dynamic parameters

　　Let’s take a look at the other highlights of this car. The dark blue G318 has an expandable luggage rack, which can bear 80kg in driving state and 300kg in static load. In addition to placing luggage, it can also install roof tents, outdoor sunshades and other equipment. The new car comes with 1.6 tons of towing qualifications, which can tow bicycles, RVs, etc., to further enrich the self-driving experience. In addition, the new car supports 6 kW discharge, which can meet the lighting and cooking electricity needs during camping.

　　Finally, let’s take a look at the body size and power. The length, width and height of the dark blue G318 are 5010/1985/1960 (including spare tire and spotlights) mm, and the wheelbase is 2880mm. The new car will be equipped with an extended range power system, and the CLTC pure electric cruising range can reach 190km. The power of the 1.5T range extender is 110kW, and the maximum power of the motor after the single motor version is 185 kW; the maximum power of the front motor of the dual-motor four-wheel drive model is 131kW, and the maximum power of the rear motor is 185kW. The total power of the system reaches 316kW, and the 0-100km/acceleration time is 6.3 seconds.For more details on the exterior and interior of the new car, please click here.

Write at the end

　　With the continuous development of China’s new energy technology, Chinese brands have gradually explored their own path in new energy off-road vehicles. For example, hardcore off-road new energy models such as the U8 and the Warrior 917 have competed back and forth with traditional fuel-powered off-road vehicles in terms of off-road performance, allowing the world to see the R & D strength of Chinese brands. However, these models are still big toys for the rich after all, and they are too far away from ordinary people. We still prefer to see more new energy SUVs like the Deep Blue G318 that can be affordable to ordinary people and have certain off-road capabilities enter the market, allowing ordinary consumers to enjoy the low-cost travel advantages of new energy vehicles, as well as the fun of camping and exploring the mountains and rivers. (Text/Autohome Yan Huan)