Guangzhou Automobile Group to show battery-electric SUV concept at Detroit Auto Show
12 January 2013
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd (GAC Group) is showing the Trumpchi GS5-BEV Pure Electric Vehicle Concept at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The electric SUV concept is based on the conventionally-engined Trumpchi GS5 SUV which was introduced in March of 2012.
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| GAC Trumpchi GS5-BEV. Click to enlarge. |
Jointly developed by GAC Engineering and AC Propulsion, it is powered by AC Propulsion’s Gen 3 Integrated Drive & Recharge system, featuring a high efficiency induction motor and highly integrated power electronics unit. The high speed motor provides instantaneously available 225 N·m (166 lb-ft) of torque and up to 150 kW (200 hp) of power.
The Power Electronics Unit integrates the motor drive electronics and onboard charger functions to minimize system costs. An 18 kW charger allows recharge times as fast as 2 hours and features bi-directional power capability—thus Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Vehicle-to-House (V2H) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) power flow are all possible.
The 35 kWh Li-ion battery pack is mounted low for vehicle stability and is managed by ACP’s “LOM” monitor and control system. The high efficiency of the system and excellent energy management enable the vehicle to achieve a driving range of 100 miles (161 km) with a single charge of the battery.
The AC Propulsion powertrain is expensive.. is there going to be a cost breakthrough in China?
Posted by: Herm | 12 January 2013 at 10:39 AM
Herm...your assumption is probably the correct one.
Historically, goods (specially batteries, electrical components, all other car parts etc) are mass produced in China at much lower cost. A Chinese built SUV/BEV could in principle be built in China for under $25K instead of over $50K for the equivalent local built product. Transport cost is not that important.
Posted by: HarveyD | 12 January 2013 at 11:26 AM
Recent information that I saw (believe that it was from SME -- Society of Manufacturing Engineers) gave the advantage of the cost of Manufacturing to China but it was only by about 7% which is about the same advantage that the US has over Japan while we enjoy about a 15% advantage over Germany and some other EU countries. This is why some of the manufacturing is returning to the US.
Also AC drive electronics are common place and not that expensive. We use it on our agricultural machines as it is easier to control than hydraulics (and more fuel efficient)
Posted by: sd | 12 January 2013 at 01:03 PM
There is nothing inherently more expensive about AC Propulsion designs. They don't use rare earth permanent magnets, but they do use a 9 to 1 gear reducer in the Tesla.
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Posted by: Calvin Brock | 13 February 2013 at 12:33 AM