SAIC Motor Corporation's engine, which was tested in April last year, has a highest indicated thermal efficiency of 48.1% and an effective thermal efficiency of up to 46.3%. BYD Company Limited has released its fifth-generation DM-i technology, and Chairman Wang Chuanfu stated that the company's engine thermal efficiency has reached 46.06%. In the second half, the competition will begin with a price war, but ultimately it will be decided by the "technology war" and "value war".
In light of the rapid development of new energy technology, Chinese automakers are competing to achieve the highest thermal efficiency of their engines. SAIC Motor Corporation, on the other hand, seems to be poised for a potential triumph over BYD and Geely Auto, as its engine thermal efficiency has reached new heights according to a recently released test report.
According to a test report issued by Shanghai Motor Vehicle Inspection and Certification Center Limited last year, one of SAIC Motor Corporation's engines achieved a maximum indicated thermal efficiency of 48.1% and an effective thermal efficiency of 46.3%.
"The hybrid-specific engine is one of SAIC's core advantages in its 'DMH Super Hybrid System.'" According to SAIC, this vehicle gasoline engine model 15HAJ, combined with pioneering "energy field" global thermal management, the "five-in-one" PICU powertrain control unit, and a motor and engine coaxial structure, uses software algorithms as its core, and matches more advanced technologies such as high-efficiency EGR rate, which sets it apart from other SAIC plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Before SAIC entered the field, a battle over who has the world's highest engine thermal efficiency had already begun. On the evening of May 28th, BYD released its fifth-generation DM-i technology and Chairman Wang Chuanfu claimed that the company's engine thermal efficiency had reached 46.06%, making it the highest in the world. In response to BYD's claim, Geely Auto's Vice President of Sales, Xu Dongwei, posted on Weibo a certification of Geely's engine thermal efficiency by China Automotive Technology and Research Center, claiming that Geely's engine thermal efficiency of 46.1% is the highest in the world. BYD then responded that its own technology is currently in production and that it will soon produce an engine with a thermal efficiency of 46.5%.
"The improvement of engine thermal efficiency is crucial for energy conservation, emission reduction, and improvement of vehicle economics. It is an important indicator of the R&D capabilities of automobile manufacturers." According to an industry source, engine thermal efficiency, also known as "effective efficiency," refers to the ratio of mechanical work output to the energy generated by fuel combustion in the engine. It is an important data point for measuring engine technology level and economics. "It can be simply understood that the higher this value, the less fuel waste and the more energy used to drive the car."
It is worth noting that the thermal efficiency of many hybrid engines currently on the market exceeds 40%, and there are many vehicle companies with thermal efficiency above 46% that have not yet entered mass production. In April, Guangzhou Automobile Group announced that its single-cylinder engine has a maximum indicated thermal efficiency of over 52.5%, and its multi-cylinder engine has an effective thermal efficiency of over 46%. In mid-May, Deng Wei, the general manager of Changan Automobile's new power research institute, mentioned in a speech that "we have achieved a thermal efficiency of 44.28% in mass production, and our reserve thermal efficiency can reach 47.03%." Previously, Yang Yanding, the head of Dongfeng Automobile Group's research and development institute, publicly stated that Dongfeng's engine thermal efficiency has exceeded 47% and is about to enter mass production. By 2026, it is expected to exceed 48%. "In addition, research on new technology achieving a thermal efficiency breakthrough of over 50% has begun."
"The competition among automakers to improve engine thermal efficiency is essentially a competition in technology." A source from the industry suggests that compared to the first half of the automotive industry's period of change, the second half seems to have experienced a sudden change in style, and the entire industry is now shrouded in anxiety and a restless atmosphere. "Currently, China's automobile industry has entered a period of rapid development of new energy sources, and competition among automobile companies is fierce. Competitions in pricing, technology, and speed of implementation have all led to benign competition, and this will be beneficial for the car companies, consumers, and the entire industry."
For Wang Xia, Chairman of the Automobile Industry Committee of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the competition in the second half of the industry starts with price competition, but ultimately will be won by "technology competition" and "value competition." However, there is still a long way to go in exploring technical routes, such as exploring the potential of hybrid technology, commercializing solid-state batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, and AI integration, all of which are potential realms with huge opportunities for developing core technologies and delivering differentiated value to consumers and cannot be dragged back by price wars to the old path of homogenous competition and the loss of the ability to achieve sustained development."