At the weekend Chery launched a new version of the Fulwin A8 the Voyage Editon and recently put the car through two tests to show its effectiveness as a PHEV.
Chery is embarking on a major push of new energy vehicles. Fulwin itself is a sub-brand selling PHEV versions of Chery ICE cars. There are also additional NEV brands including iCar and a new brand Yueji set to launch in the third quarter, the first car said to be a hybrid compact SUV codenamed T1GC. Last year at the 2023 Chery Technology Day, Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Holding Group said “Chery will not be as ‘polite’ in the field of new energy next year as before.”
The push that the Fulwin A8 Voyage Edition has received is indicative of the new Chery gloves off attitude to NEVs. To show the company means business Chery undertook two tests with the Fulwin A8 to show its credentials as a PHEV.
In the first test Chery tried to be the first company to drive a PHEV on one tank of fuel and one charge 2,000 km. Judging from the promotional pictures of the event the car seems to be the new Voyage Edition of the Fulwin A8, it is identifiable by the far more EV like enclosed face.
On March 28 two test cars set off from Chery headquarters in Wuhu, Anhui Province and tried to get as far as Yancheng, Jiangsu Province via a 2,000 km route. In the end both cars failed with one traveling 1,919.9 km and the other 1,935 km.
The test showed the range potential of the car. In the other test it tackled the ‘high-speed stall’ worry of PHEVs. This is where the battery has limited charge and the power is insufficient to provide power generation for the battery, run the air conditioning and undertake other high-load conditions. The result is the car will automatically slow down.
Under the test the Fulwin A8 Voyage Edition drove on a high speed oval track at a speed of 180 km/h for an hour without experiencing a problem. Fast Technology reported that the state of charge was 44% at the beginning of the test and that by the end of the test the battery had 47% charge.
The Chery Fulwin A8 Voyage Edition was previously known as the Chery Fulwin A8 Pro. It launched on March 30 with a total of three versions priced between 109,900 (15,200 USD) and 129,900 yuan (17,950 USD). Compared to the existing Fulwin A8 the main difference is the new enclosed grille which makes the car look far more like an NEV. Length, width and height of the new car are 4780, 1843,1469 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2790 mm.
Inside the interior is also very much like other versions of the Fulwin A8. It comes equipped with dual 12.3-inch screens which flow into one unit, an opening panoramic sunroof and both heating and ventilation for the driver’s seat. Connectivity comes courtesy of Apple CarPlay and Huawei HiCar.
One key difference of the Fulwin A8 Voyage Edition is the larger battery pack of 18.3 kWh versus 14.2 kWh in other versions of the Fulwin A8. As a PHEV it comes equipped with the Chery Kunpeng super hybrid C-DM system, utilizing the fifth-generation Acteco 1.5TGDI hybrid engine, the vehicle’s fuel tank is 60 liters. Thermal efficiency of the engine is 44.5% and it can provide power of 115 kW and 220 Nm of torque.
Editor’s note:
I was quite surprised at last year’s Shanghai Auto Show by the sheer number of NEVs and different brands that Chery was suddenly showing. Although the company has dabbled to some extent with NEVs for years with some notable successes like the eQ1 it never really seemed that committed. Any doubts about commitment seem to have been laid to rest at the 2023 show and the comments by Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Holding Group, show that we are going to see far more and soon.
The tests using the Chery Fulwin A8 Voyage Edition are an obvious attempt to gain headlines and position the company as a serious contender in NEVs against the likes of BYD and Geely.
Sources: Autohome, Fast Technology, Fast Technology, Fast Technology,
