BYD introduces Yangwanga new premium brand dedicated to electric cars. The most important thing about Yangwang is that its products will be based on the new e4 platform.China’s first mass-produced independent four-engine architecture.
“The Yangwang brand will be the first to apply BYD Group’s cutting-edge technologies and offer customers excellent safety, performance and experience even in extreme driving conditions”BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said at the launch.
This announcement was made by the hand of the U8, a spectacular off-road SUV for the premium segment, which points to models of the likes of the Land Rover Defender or Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The e4 platform
All models of yangwang, including the U8 and the U9 supercar (which was shown as a surprise during the event), will use this four-engine architecture. This development is not new, however, what you plan BYD it is to massify these advances at a much more accessible price than one might think, seeking not to exceed 150 thousand dollars.
BYD has been working on four independent engine architectures for more than 20 years. The problem lay in the cost of developing efficient and reliable electric motors, high-performance batteries (charge cycles, refrigeration, energy density, packaging) and the electronic control system.
A four-motor platform means that each wheel is driven by its own independent motor, rather than having one motor per axle, as is common. This means that all models on the e4 platform will have intelligent, real-time configurable AWD, with an unlimited level of control over torque to each wheel, thanks to no axles, transfer cases or differentials spreading power.
By removing all “intermediaries“In a powertrain, you achieve absolute freedom in terms of power management, and there’s no better format to demonstrate this than an SUV.
The U8 stands on a traditional ladder chassis, but configured to be able to house batteries (BYD’s famous Blade batteries) and the e4 electrical architecture. This ensures the robustness of the powertrain, but in addition, BYD has adopted protocols for waterproofing and sealing the body under IP68 standards, perfect for wading through water safely.
This powertrain also has different functions: it can rotate 360 degrees on its own axis, it can move diagonally (“crab“) and even has a stability program to be able to drive with a flat tire at speeds of up to 120 km/h. It also has driving modes for ice, snow, dunes and more. And of course, thanks to having independent control over the wheels, its level of maneuverability is superior to that of any SUV of this size, being able to turn in tighter places (in less than 12 meters) or “make up” the weight of the vehicle in curves by adjusting the lateral torque. from 100 km/h in less than 40 meters by using regenerative functions in the motors.
All these functions can also be applied to the safety level: a traction system of this level can allow safer maneuvers and enhance the functions of traction or stability controls.
The platform was designed to develop more than 1,100 Hp of power since each engine has an individual power close to 240 kW and 310 lb-ft of torque.
Design work on the U8 was left to Wolfgang Eiger, a former Audi designer. and who has to his credit the vast majority of BYD’s new models. His proposal is called “Time Gate”, with L-shaped lights and diodes that simulate stars, as well as hidden handles and a robust but futuristic aesthetic at the same time.
The U8 measures 5.3 meters long and 3.05 meters between axles, wearing 20″ wheels. Only the photos of the interior are missing, which have not been revealed, except for a couple of spy images that reveal, as expected, many screens We will learn the rest along the way, but for now this is the potential BYD has in its hands with Yangwang.
