Zhiji Auto and CATL jointly develop new 6F22 carbon battery technology to achieve a range of 1,000 kilometers

Less than a month after its official announcement, there is new news about "Zhiji Auto", jointly created by SAIC Group, Pudong New Area and Alibaba Group.

On December 14, Future Auto Daily exclusively learned from senior executives of SAIC Group close to the project that Zhiji Auto is jointly developing "silicon-doped lithium-supplemented battery cells" technology with CATL. The two parties will share technical patents and work together to complete various rigorous vehicle tests. In the future, they will be the first to apply this battery technology worldwide and mass-produce power batteries equipped with this technology.

Liu Tao, deputy leader of the Zhiji Auto preparatory group, told Future Auto Daily that the energy density of this battery will be 30%-40% higher than the current industry-leading level. Reflecting on the car owner's car end, Liu Tao said that this battery can achieve a maximum range of about 1,000km and zero attenuation of 200,000 kilometers within Zhiji Auto's new architecture bandwidth.

"Due to cost reasons, products with a range of about 1,000 km will be gradually introduced to the market in the next five years." Liu Tao further added that this battery will ensure battery safety through the optimization of battery cell material formula, patented grouping technology insulation and flame retardancy, and all-cast aluminum battery pack shell packaging technology, combined with BMS end-cloud collaborative management.

Optimizing battery technology and improving the range of electric vehicles while ensuring safety has become an industry consensus. Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously stated that Tesla is developing electric vehicles with a range of 1,000 kilometers.

According to incomplete statistics from Future Auto Daily, the range of mainstream products on sale in the mid-to-high-end electric vehicle market is currently concentrated between 500-800 km, but as more players enter the market, the ceiling of range is constantly being broken. For example, the first mass-produced car of Dongfeng's Lantu brand, Lantu FREE, which is about to be released, provides two power options: pure electric and extended range, with a NEDC comprehensive range of over 860 km.

In addition, Liu Tao told Future Auto Daily that Zhiji Auto's first model is equipped with a laser-compatible software and hardware architecture redundancy solution. He said that Zhiji Auto has the possibility of upgrading the laser perception system for mass-produced vehicles, but the premise is that the commercialization of laser core components has entered a mature stage.

Autonomous driving technology is the highlight of smart cars. Xiaopeng Motors CEO He Xiaopeng recently announced that it will mass-produce cars equipped with lasers in 2021, which has caused the industry to re-evaluate the possibility of lasers on cars. Previously, Musk denounced that "any autonomous driving company using lasers is doomed to fail."

In terms of the implementation of autonomous driving, Liu Tao said that under the conditions permitted by safety regulations, Zhiji Auto's automatic valet parking function is expected to be implemented in some business districts in Shanghai by the end of 2021, and will be expanded to other first-tier cities and new first-tier cities in 2022.

By the end of 2021, Zhiji Auto will also realize the Door to Door Pilot (autonomous driving from home to company and business district), which will integrate technologies such as smart parking in and out, urban smart navigation, and high-speed smart navigation. It is expected that these functions will cover most roads in first-tier cities in the first half of 2022.

In terms of vehicle charging, Liu Tao revealed that Zhiji Auto will equip its first product with wireless charging technology, with a maximum power of 11kW. After the user gets off the car, the vehicle will automatically park for the valet through the mobile phone APP. The vehicle will automatically find a parking space that can be wirelessly charged, and automatically recharge after parking in the parking space. "The charging efficiency is close to that of wired charging." According to a report by Shanghai Automobile News in November, Zhiji Auto's first product will be a sedan, which is expected to be on the road in 2021. In addition to sedans, Zhiji Auto also plans SUVs and concept cars. Liu Tao told Future Auto Daily that the currently planned products focus on pure electric vehicles and do not involve hybrid products.

Zhiji Auto's predecessor was SAIC Group's "No. 1 Project" code-named "L". Officials said that the project has been started since 2018.

It is understood that Zhiji Auto will adopt a market-oriented capital operation model to provide option incentives for core management and start-up teams, and design the same level of equity incentives for user value. Future Auto Daily learned from SAIC Motors that SAIC Motors has clearly transformed into a "comprehensive supplier of services and products" and will use the Zhiji Auto project to drive the transformation of the entire SAIC Motors.

Future Auto Daily learned that there are currently more than 200 members of the Zhiji Auto project, half of whom are from SAIC Motors. Jiang Jun, the leader of the project preparation team, has served as director of SAIC General Motors' after-sales service department and deputy general manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicle Company; Liu Tao, the deputy leader, has served as director of SAIC Passenger Vehicle Product Planning Department, Roewe Brand Director, and general manager of SAIC Motors' Quality and Economic Operation Department.

Regarding the use of the first round of RMB 10 billion in financing, Liu Tao told Future Auto Daily that Zhiji Auto will focus on product and technological innovation, focusing on building core capabilities in three main areas: brand, product development, and digital channels. In addition, Zhiji Auto focuses on building the core capabilities of the data-driven center. Through in-depth cooperation with Alibaba Damo Academy, it will explore innovative technologies such as AI artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and mine and deeply analyze user big data.

Since the second half of this year, traditional independent car companies have accelerated their pace of seeking high-end breakthroughs in the electric vehicle track.

In July this year, Dongfeng Motor officially launched a new high-end electric brand "Lantu"; on December 18, Lantu's first mass-produced car Lantu FREE will be unveiled globally in Shenzhen. GAC Group officially made its Aion brand independent as a high-end smart brand, and GAC New Energy was officially renamed "GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd.". In November, Changan Automobile announced that it would jointly build a high-end smart car brand with Huawei and CATL, and its high-tech high-end smart products will be launched soon. In December, Great Wall Motors was also exposed to plan to establish a new independent smart electric car brand, which was internally named "SL Project". The brand will be priced higher than existing models.

With the rush of traditional automakers to enter the market, the high-end new energy vehicle battlefield will usher in more intense competition. An industry insider told Future Auto Daily that the future battlefield of smart cars may not necessarily be dominated by new car manufacturers, and traditional OEMs also have a greater chance of winning, "They have a deep accumulation in supply chain integration." Future Auto Daily

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