When evaluating a car, we often ask: "Is this car easy to drive?" The key factor that determines whether a car is easy to drive is the chassis. The core structure of the chassis is the suspension system, which has a great impact on the vehicle's handling performance and driving texture. So, what kind of suspension can make the car "easy to drive" and be called high-end?
Take the major new energy vehicle companies that are constantly moving towards the high-end market this year as an example. From NIO ES7, Ideal L9, Xiaopeng G9, to Zekr 001, Lantu FREE, they all use air suspension. So, compared with traditional suspension, where is the "high-end" of air suspension reflected?
New forces are moving towards high-end, and air suspension has become standard
Why do major new energy vehicle companies choose air suspension when they are attacking the high-end market? In one sentence: Ordinary suspension cannot be adjusted, and air suspension can achieve height adjustment. For example, when passing through uneven roads, cars equipped with air suspension can avoid chassis scratches through the height adjustment of the suspension, while models equipped with ordinary suspension can only take the risk to hold on.
How does the air suspension achieve stiffness adjustment? The traditional ordinary suspension is composed of springs and shock absorbing components, which can improve riding comfort and driving stability to a certain extent, but its structure is fixed and cannot be adjusted; the air suspension is usually composed of air compressor , press , control unit, sensor, etc. There is an air chamber inside, and the gas in the air chamber can be adjusted. According to the number of air chambers, the air suspension is also divided into single-chamber air suspension, double-chamber air suspension, three-chamber air suspension, etc., to adjust the suspension height and stiffness.
At present, most new energy vehicles use single-chamber air suspension. There is an air chamber inside the single-chamber air suspension. Through this air chamber, it can adjust the body height, thereby increasing the passing of the vehicle on uneven roads. Compared with traditional suspensions, it can indeed be said to be a "high-end goods". However, this "high-end product" is not easy to grasp. For example, Ideal L9 among new forces has encountered some difficulties.
As one of the most optimistic new forces flagships in the second half of the year, the empty suspension of Ideal L9 has always been one of its selling points. The official even gave it the name of "magic carpet", but the "broken shaft door" incident that occurred in Ideal L9 has caused many people to have doubts. This also makes people pay attention to a detail again - the suspension material. Some time ago, some netizens have questioned the suspension material of L9: "Is it steel or aluminum?" In response, Li Xiang 's response on Weibo seems a bit...
Compared with the new L9 operation in the same class, it does seem a bit inadequate to watch. The G9's chassis and suspension use aluminum parts on a large area, which ensures high strength while also achieving a lightweight design. Not only Xiaopeng , another leading brand of new forces, NIO , also uses single-cavity air suspension in the new car ES7 released this year, but there is no such a big public opinion effect due to the material of the chassis suspension.
In fact, the technical difficulty of air suspension is indeed much more complicated than that of ordinary suspensions, and the air suspension needs more care. In addition to desiccant , etc., to deal with air humidity, the upgrade of suspension material is also very critical. It can be seen that upgrading new technologies is not easy for car companies. Car companies need to be prepared enough, and everything is based on safety.
dual-chamber air suspension, Xiaopeng G9 advanced to high-end
Just when single-chamber air suspension occupied the high-end model market for most new energy vehicle brands, Xiaopeng G9 has become the only model equipped with dual-chamber air suspension within 500,000. Compared with single-chamber air suspension, double-chamber air suspension realizes the dual adjustment of suspension stiffness and height. In addition, the intelligent gene of Xiaopeng Motors is integrated. G9's intelligent dual-chamber air suspension also learns to "behave politely (car)".
For example, the Xiaopeng G9 equipped with double-cavity suspended has more soft and hard control of the suspension, which can adjust the suspension softly and hard when bumping roads, turning and accelerating, making the driving experience safer and more comfortable. For example, the suspension becomes soft when the road is damaged, and the suspension becomes hard when the obstacle avoidance is urgent. As for "being a polite car", it needs to be expressed through the height adjustment of the suspension. When the owner is sensed, the G9's smart suspension can actively "set down" to facilitate the "owner" to go up and down.
When "high-end" becomes the mainstream of new energy vehicles, driving performance must be the primary issue that these car companies need to improve. Consumers' eyes are bright. If they just have a "luxury sense" that is exaggerated, it will definitely damage the brand's image. In this regard, the Xiaopeng G9 equipped with a double-cavity airborne looks more sincere.
