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Introduction | Finally clarified what L2.99 level is all about
This year, many media outlets reported on a new electric SUV from Chery New Energy. It was undergoing ice and snow testing in Northeast China at the time, featuring a wide front and split headlights, reminiscent of the NIO ES6, yet with a hint of Lynk & Co 01 in its front design. There was much speculation.
At that time, it was only known by its internal code S61, and it was expected to be named eQ5 upon launch, based on Chery’s all-aluminum pure electric LFS platform. There were two claims regarding the wheelbase: one was 2805mm and the other was 2830mm; it was quite mysterious back then.Now, as the year comes to a close, everything has been unveiled.This car is not called eQ5, but Ant, likely to avoid confusion with the Audi Q5. It only differs by one character from the previous micro electric vehicle, Little Ant.Cheju believes that this naming might be influenced by Great Wall’s trend of naming new cars after animals, such as Haval Big Dog and Ora Good Cat, making them more friendly and memorable. However, naming this mid-size SUV Ant might confuse the audience logically.
The platform is no longer called LFS but has been renamed @LIFE, which is easier to remember.The wheelbase is confirmed to be 2830mm, with overall dimensions of 4630×1910×1655, which is quite wide. It uses a 70.1kWh ternary lithium battery, with an NEDC range of 510km. It features a rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 130kW and a maximum torque of 280Nm. The 0-100km/h acceleration has not been disclosed, but it is stated that the 0-50km/h acceleration is 4.8 seconds.It seems that the Ant is not focused on performance but rather on handling and daily usability.There are a total of four versions: Energy, High Energy, High Energy Pro, and Super Energy, with prices after subsidies ranging from 149,800 to 189,800 Yuan.
The Ant’s autonomous driving features are noteworthy, as it was previously advertised to achieve L2.99 level autonomous driving. However, only the top-spec Super Energy version has ACC+LKA functions, which are standard L2 assistance features.In the second-highest version, High Energy Pro, it only includes FCW (Forward Collision Warning), LDW (Lane Departure Warning), TSR (Traffic Sign Recognition), BSD (Blind Spot Detection), and ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control); the lower two configurations have almost no driving assistance features, and even lack AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking), which should not be the case.Let’s first take a look at the Ant’s platform and what makes it stand out.
The @LIFE platform features an all-aluminum frame body, reducing weight by 30% and increasing rigidity by 20%. The outer covering uses 17% composite materials, reducing weight by over 10%.The platform’s main feature is its flexible and variable body structure, allowing adjustments to the front and rear suspensions, wheelbase, and track width, enabling the expansion of various vehicle types such as sedans, SUVs, and MPVs, as well as combinations of two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, range-extended drive, and hydrogen power. Moreover, it can utilize a short process manufacturing method, reducing the traditional stamping, welding, painting, and assembly processes to just welding and assembly, for which Chery has invested 1.5 billion Yuan.
The Ant uses Chery’s fourth-generation battery, featuring a 4-in-1 liquid cooling structure, zoned control technology, and thermal runaway resistance technology, which can reduce the risk of fire.Chery has independently developed the Ant’s electronic/electrical architecture, compatible with CAN Bus/CAN NFD protocols, and supports upgrades to 5G, V2X, and other future functions. The V2X communication interface technology comes from ZTE, supporting a 5G+V2X+roadside MEC fog computing integrated architecture.Now, the highlight: the intelligent driving assistance system!
The Ant’s ADAS system uses the domestic brand Horizon’s “Journey 2” chip. Based on this chip, Chery and ZTE have developed China’s first mass-produced autonomous driving domain controller, which supports OTA upgrades. Essentially, from the chip to the algorithm to the application, all are domestic brands.Cheju is quite looking forward to how this new ADAS system of the Ant performs.This L2+ self-driving system roughly divides the responsibilities: the electronic architecture is provided by Chery, the domain controller and algorithms are co-developed by Chery and ZTE, the sensors come from domestic suppliers, the braking in the execution layer comes from Asia-Pacific, steering from Henglong, and the drive comes from Chery’s Anjiao Motor.
It seems that Chery regards the Ant as a pioneer for crossing into L3 level autonomous driving, but currently, the coverage of high-precision maps is not yet complete, and V2X commercial operations have not yet begun. The environment for L3 and above autonomous driving is still immature, and all OEMs and partners will need a considerable amount of time to build together.Well, the “L2.99 level case” from back then has been clarified: it is a bold attempt, but still belongs to the L2 level category, merely leaving various possibilities for the future, while the current effectiveness still needs to be validated by the market. Cheju SummaryFinally, let’s summarize the highlights of the Chery Ant:
▎All-aluminum frame body, cage design, and multi-chamber closed skeleton;
▎First-layer leather seats, including ventilation and heating, 10-way adjustment, and a boss button for the co-driver;
▎Front and rear dual trunks, with a trunk capacity of 386-1250L, capable of holding fishing rods;
▎Face ID for personal function customization, plus fatigue driving monitoring;
▎Rear-mounted rear drive, with independent suspension on all four wheels;
▎Range of 510km, equipped with ZTE chip L2 driving assistance.
With such product strength, do you think the Ant, starting at 149,800 Yuan, can compete with new forces?Welcome to join the Cheju Network reader WeChat group: please add WeChat ID autoju1 and indicate “I want to join the group”, after which we will add you to the group, or join the QQ group: 383683141.