BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles (NEVs), officially unveiled its premium sub-brand Yangwang and its core technology known as the e4 Platform. The Yangwang U8 off-road SUV and the Yangwang U9 all-electric supercar made their debuts, both with a price tag of around RMB 1 million (around EUR 130,000). All future Yangwang brand models will be based on the e4 Platform.
The e4 Platform is China’s first mass-produced four-engine independent technology platform, designed to ensure maximum safety for customers. Compared to conventional vehicles, the e4 Platform is able to fine-tune four-wheel dynamics thanks to the independent control of the four engines. Wang Chuanfu, President of BYD. “The Yangwang brand will be the first to apply BYD Group’s cutting-edge technologies and offer customers safety, performance and an excellent driving experience in all conditions,” said Wang Chuanfu, President of BYD, at the launch event.
E4 platform: Rethinking the powertrain to provide superior safety
The birth of a premium brand is often the result of developing market-leading core technologies, and the e4 Platform is the starting point for the Yangwang brand. The e4 Platform is a four-engine propulsion system that completely reinterprets the attributes of new energy vehicles in terms of styling, dynamics and production. The prototype of this technology appeared in the ET concept car launched by BYD 20 years ago, inspired by the posture of a running cheetah. Four electric motors separately drive four wheels, like the four legs of a cheetah, providing more performance and safety. After twenty years of research and development, this technology is finally being mass-produced thanks to advances in three key areas (electric motors, batteries and control electronics), opening up new and innovative driving possibilities,
The e4 platform is considered a disruptive technology as it provides a new approach to vehicle architecture while ensuring greater safety. Due to historical and technical limitations, conventional internal combustion vehicles have limited stability control capabilities in terms of speed and accuracy of execution. Slow response, low efficiency, limited power and poor control of torque distribution between the four wheels are some of the typical problems at the execution level. The e4 Platform, on the other hand, is able to independently adjust wheel dynamics within milliseconds with a more perceptive electric drive system and is therefore better able to control the vehicle.
The e4 platform can ensure greater safety, as it can control the movement of the vehicle by adjusting the torque on individual wheels in real time. For example, after a tyre bursts, the control unit is able to precisely manage the delivery of torque to the other three wheels in a fraction of a second, helping the vehicle to stop more stably and safely. This function should minimise the risk of secondary accidents. Models based on the e4 Platform also adopt IP68-rated waterproof and body sealing technology to allow vehicles to float on water thanks to the independent control of the four wheels, demonstrating far greater potential for the application of dynamic technology than conventional vehicles. In addition to safety, the e4 Platform also offers state-of-the-art performance and driving experience. The electric motors have reached a maximum speed of 20,500 rpm and an output of more than 1,100 horsepower, enabling use on the road, off-road and on the racetrack. Not long ago, a Yangwang test vehicle based on the e4 Platform succeeded in climbing the Alashan Desert, fully demonstrating the immense potential of the e4 Platform in four-wheel grip control.
Vehicles based on the e4 Platform can rotate on themselves by driving electric motors integrated in the wheels in counterphase. With the ability to deliver positive and negative torque independently to individual wheels, even if the steering and brakes are not working, the e4 Platform allows the U8 full-size SUV to brake from 100 km/h to zero in less than 40 metres and to reverse in less than 12 metres, just like a hatchback. The e4 Platform further enhanced BYD’s ‘four-in-one’ safety system, which ensures the safety of battery cells, battery packs and vehicles as a whole, positioning the Yangwang brand at the top of the premium market.
Yangwang debuts an off-road SUV and an electric supercar: prices around RMB 1 million forNEVpremium models
At the launch event, the two Yangwang U8 and Yangwang U9 models made their debut, both based on the e4 Platform and with high performance in extreme conditions.
Yangwang U8 high-energy off-road SUV.
The Yangwang brand’s first model, the U8 is positioned in the new power off-road SUV market with a price tag of around RMB 1 million. Designed for extreme off-road adventures, the vehicle is over 5 metres long and 2 metres wide and adopts the ‘Time Gate’ styling language, a hallmark of the Yangwang brand. Its design combines futuristic elements with hardcore styling. Thanks to the e4 Platform, the Yangwang U8 combines the outstanding performance, safety and reliability of an off-roader with innovative driving systems. These elements give the U8 the capabilities to overcome emergency situations even in complex road conditions.
All-electric supercar Yangwang U9
The Yangwang U9 is a 100% electric high-performance supercar offered at a price of approximately RMB 1 million. Developed on the e4 Platform, the Yangwang U9 can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just two seconds. The Yangwang U9 also interprets the ‘Time Gate’ design language, which integrates typical supercar styling with futuristic elements. Thanks to innovative technologies, the Yangwang R&D team has created an extremely safe body structure on the U9 that exceeds the strictest safety standards, offering maximum comfort in the city and the best chassis performance on the track.
Redefining the premium market through technological innovations in the new NEV era
The Yangwang logo is inspired by the Chinese inscription of the oracular bone (‘电’ meaning electricity). As one of the oldest and most recognisable hieroglyphs in the world, ‘电’ has witnessed the evolution of electricity, echoing the persistent progress of human civilisation. Inspired by the inscription on the oracular bone, Yangwang hopes to continue to probe the unknown with curiosity and courage, to steadily advance the future of automotive technology. Yangwang will independently manage its sales channels to create a premium brand offering open, fair, consistent and sustainable services accessible to customers. Meanwhile, users’ feedback will be taken into account so that their voice becomes part of Yangwang’s brand values.
A premium brand must be based on premium technologies. After 20 years of research and development, Yangwang aims to redefine the performance standards of premium NEVs with BYD’s industrial capability. In the future, Yangwang will continue to drive BYD’s technical innovations, boldly tackle the challenges posed by technology, constantly redraw the boundaries of NEV technologies, and commercialise the fruits of its research and development into outstanding new products. With aspirations to offer customers an extraordinary level of safety, sensational performance and an impressive driving experience, Yangwang intends to be the game changer in the luxury automotive market.
About BYD
BYD is a high-tech multinational corporation dedicated to harnessing technological innovations to improve people’s quality of life. Founded in 1995 as a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, BYD today boasts a diversified business that includes automobile manufacturing, rail transportation, new energy and electronics, with more than 30 industrial facilities in China, the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Hungary and India. From energy generation and storage to its applications, BYD is committed to providing zero-emission energy solutions that reduce global dependence on fossil fuels. BYD automobiles are now distributed in 6 continents, over 70 countries and regions and more than 400 cities. Listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges, the company is known for providing innovations for a greener world among Fortune Global 500 companies.
About BYD Auto
Founded in 2003, BYD Auto is the automotive division of BYD, a high-tech multinational corporation dedicated to harnessing technological innovations to improve people’s quality of life. Aiming to accelerate the global green transition of the transportation industry, BYD Auto focuses on the development of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The company masters the core technologies of the entire electrified vehicle industrial chain, such as batteries, electric motors, electronic control systems and automotive-grade semiconductors. In recent years, BYD Auto has made major technological breakthroughs, such as the Blade battery, the DM-i and DM-p hybrid technology, the 3.0 electronic platform and CTB technology. The company is the first carmaker in the world to have stopped production of internal combustion vehicles in the transition to electrified vehicles and has been the leader in China in sales of newly developed vehicles for 9 years in a row.
About BYD Europe
BYD Europe is headquartered in the Netherlands and is the first foreign subsidiary of the BYD Group with a commitment to provide sustainable, safe and efficient solutions for next-generation vehicles through world-leading technological innovations. bydeurope.com
