Just as the Japanese and then the Korean carmakers have swept across the world, displacing the older European and American brands, carmakers from China are now starting their offensive on international markets. They are targeting Europe in particular as this region is moving strongly ahead with electrification, with regulations that aim to minimise or even stop sales of vehicles with combustion engines.
Electrified vehicles are an area where Chinese manufacturers have built up a lot of experience and knowledge, thanks to their government’s introduction of the national New Energy Vehicle (NEV) policy in 2009. This had the goal of 500,000 electrified vehicles – battery (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) – by 2012, which would account for 5% of new passenger vehicle sales.
Human Horizons, the young Chinese technology company (established just 4 years ago), has released details of two more versions of its HiPhi X Super SUV range. The new versions are the 6-seater Creative Extended Range Edition and Intelligent Extended Range Edition which are said to be premium products.
Meeting more differing customer needs
Since being unveiled in mid-May 2021, the HiPhi X has been selling well across China and the development team has been looking at providing vehicles for more differing needs of consumers. Both the Creative Extended Range Edition and Intelligent Extended Range Edition are outfitted as luxury versions, with features such as a 17-speaker Meridian audio system, 19.9-inch entertainment screen for passengers, customizable smart fragrance system by Givaudan, interior light panels, a HEPA biochemical filter, and a driver physical monitoring system.
The HiPhi X has a number of world and industry firsts among mass-produced passenger vehicles, especially in the EV segment. These include smart PML programmable headlights, smart ISD interactive lamps and lighting system, and the intuitive AI-powered HiPhi Play interactive visual display.
Internet-of-Things technology
The model is also equipped with the world’s first fully-integrated open smart HiPhi service-oriented architecture (H-SOA) for use in a mass-produced vehicle. This utilizes the latest in Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology to connect, control, and monitor the operation of the vehicle. The open architecture acts as an open piece of hardware that third-party developers and regular users can program to create innovative visual displays according to their mood. For this reason, Human Horizons refers to the HiPhi X as the world’s ‘first evolvable super SUV’.
Having been conceived as an EV right from the start, the designers had no constraints as they could develop a layout fully optimised for EVs. Measuring 5.2 metres long, its lightweight hybrid aluminium construction will complement the concept of sustainability with the adoption of vegan leather and the use of recyclable materials.
There are two drivetrain versions of the HiPhi X – single motor/rear-wheel drive and dual motor/all-wheel drive. The battery pack has a 96 kWh capacity and is said to be able to provide a cruising range of up to 650 kms. It also has 4-wheel steering for easier manoeuvring, while 562 sensors feed real-time data to 4 domain controllers and 6 computing platforms to allow autonomous motoring and even parking.
Growing popularity
To date, over 5,000 HiPhi X vehicles have been delivered in China. The company claims it is the first Chinese brand to top the sales charts for premium luxury cars valued at more than 600,000 RMB (about RM398,000) for any given month. Human Horizons continues to work on expanding the charging network by supplying coverage from over 270,000 charging points across 500 cities throughout China.
HiPhi Z, to make its debut this year, will be the second model from Human Horizons.
It’s been a year since Human Horizons, a company based in China, unveiled its HiPhi concept electric vehicle (EV). When it made its global debut, the EV was described as a ‘premium supercar-inspired electric SUV’; this year, it has become an ‘Evolvable Super SUV’, said to be representative of a new generation of intelligent EVs.
Like many EVs, the HiPhi X has a sharp profile to slip through the air. Because it uses entirely new architecture, its design is not constrained by ‘legacy structures’ of earlier EVs. Measuring 5.2 metres long, its lightweight hybrid aluminium construction will complement the concept of sustainability with the adoption of vegan leather and the use of recyclable materials.
AI developed with Microsoft
With a virtually clean start, the designers have been able to incorporate many features which draw heavily on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for functioning and occupant comfort. The advanced, highly-personalized onboard AI assistant, known as HiPhiGo, has been developed in collaboration with Microsoft. HiPhiGo is highly sensory, with an array of intelligent functions, including a level of reasoning and continuous learning whilst interacting with its occupants, the surrounding environment and a multitude of vehicle parameters.
This new breed of self-learning smart vehicle has a ‘neural network’ consisting of 6 “super brain” domain controllers, connected by 1G Ethernet, which provides a higher transmission rate than traditional CAN networks. HiPhiGo is able to analyse massive amounts of information and make decisions utilizing cloud computing with a powerful data analysis engine, which results in a truly intelligent and smart vehicle.
Level 3 autonomous capability
As would be expected, the HiPhi X – which can seat 6 persons – will be able to operate autonomously. Initially, Level 3 autonomous driving will be available. Level 3 autonomous capability is the start of truly autonomous motoring where the driver can set the destination and leave the driving to the computer. However, use of the autonomous feature will only be possible on dedicated highways or lanes. The driver will also have to become ‘involved’ occasionally in complex traffic situations.
4-wheel steering will make parking easy.
In time, the HiPhi X or future models should be able to progress to the more advanced Level 5 which will allow for fully autonomous motoring where the car’s computer’s handles everything, including negotiating jams and parking by itself. That will not only depend on advancements in vehicle technology but also the public infrastructure.
RWD or AWD
For emission-free propulsion, the HiPhi X will have rear and all-wheel drive options and use 268-hp Bosch electric motors. Acceleration time is claimed to be under 4 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h.
Customers will be able to choose lithium-ion battery packs according to their anticipated needs. Those who do not foresee travelling out of the city could use a smaller battery pack and for those who expect to do regular long-distance travel, the 96 kWh battery pack could be specified which gives a claimed range of 610 kms.
The project is now its final phase of development with a launch planned at the Beijing Auto Show on September 26 and first deliveries to customers starting in 2021. The cars will be built in Jiangsu province to the north of Shanghai at a factory owned by a Dongfeng joint-venture with Kia.
