Warm the battery: how do hybrids survive the winter
The Geely hybrid crossover with the unpronounceable and unmemorable name EX5 EM-i created a small sensation on the Russian market. It became the most popular hybrid by the end of December, according to Autostat, and secured the Chinese brand the third place in the hybrid segment according to the results of last year. And without state subsidies and localization. Whether it is so good and why its parallel-serial circuit is better than the sequential one of the Evolve i-Space and the conventional gasoline Tenet T8, was found out during the Izvestia winter test.
The cosmic guest
Initially, it was supposed to be a comparison of three seven—seat Russian-built crossovers - the Tenet T8, the Evolve i-Space and the Moskvich 8. However, the flagship Moskvich suddenly went for repairs — it seemed that the press service was not eager to give Izvestia a car. But there was a more interesting candidate. Moreover, the assembly of the Geely EX5 EM-I hybrid crossover was set up by the Belarusian Belgee under the name Belgee X80 PHEV.
Dimensions of the EX5 EM-i: 4740×1905×1685 mm, wheelbase — 2755 mm, ground clearance - 172 mm. Discs — 18 or 19 inches
This model is still being imported to Russia from China, both officially and unofficially. Moreover, unofficial cars are called Galaxy Starship 7, literally "Galactic spaceship number 7". This is, of course, much more impressive than a set of letters and numbers. The EX5 EM-I is a product of the new Chinese automotive industry. It is built on the "green" GEA platform, a more mainstream version of the SEA platform of the Zeekr division, and has an all-electric twin brother EX5, which is also officially introduced in Russia.
Dimensions of the EX5 EM-i: 4740×1905×1685 mm, wheelbase — 2755 mm, ground clearance - 172 mm. Discs — 18 or 19 inches
Geely looks like space. Bumpers with alien mandibles, spectacular sidewalls and LED optics with cosmic graphics. At the same time, door handles are the most traditional. The Evolve i-Space was converted from a regular gasoline crossover and, with a facelift, began to look like a real hybrid — the front lost the radiator grille and became deaf, and a lightbar connecting the headlights appeared. Against the background of two hybrids, the Tenet T8 looks like a petrolhead dream — a huge radiator grille, predatory look of LED "pupils", twin exhaust pipes for show. It is somewhat similar to the Jaguar, but it has only been domesticated and therefore has grown very fat. Newfangled pull—out handles - only for T8.
Washers, waves and chairs
The interiors of the crossovers are arranged according to one, which has already become a traditional scheme — a "floating" console with a compartment under it, a smaller instrument screen and a larger multimedia screen. Traffic control is assigned to the Mercedes-style right steering lever, while the left lever is responsible for the high beam, turn signals and windscreen wipers. The flattened two—spoke Geely steering wheel is the most futuristic in appearance, the Tenet and Evolute steering wheels are more traditional, and the latter has a Porsche-style steering wheel.
Most of the functions of all cars are controlled by the touchscreen, but the Tenet has a traditional physical light control unit plus a block on the center console consisting of a driving mode selector, a volume control drum and climate control hot keys. Geely, despite its futuristic appearance, is equipped with physical temperature control levers for climate control and ventilation. The large washer, which is responsible for the sound volume by default, can also be programmed to control the temperature or air flow. You can also use it to control the backlight or scroll through the "wallpaper" on the multimedia display — functions that are not very necessary. The Evolute has fewer physical buttons, but it does have a traditional joystick for adjusting the side mirrors.
The Geely interior is futuristic, but the finishing materials are frankly cheap, and the workmanship is lame. The fitting of the panels is sloppy in places. the leatherette on the central armrest comes in waves. At the same time, expensive-looking Flyme Sound speakers covered with fabric are installed on top of the front panel. The system itself with 16 speakers and subwoofers sounds interesting, to say the least. The interior of the Evolute is more carefully executed, there are quite a lot of soft, leatherette-covered panels. Decorations are minimal and in the black version it looks too modest. The brown upholstery option looks more fun.
The most elegant interior is the Tenet T8, due to the use of materials of different colors and textures, including artificial suede and glossy wood inserts and panels with contrasting stitching. In general, the interior of the Tenet looks to be of the highest quality and most expensive. And his chair with a wide and thick back is the most welcoming, although it is set a little high. The lumbar support adjustment is available only here. The Geely driver's seat is probably the most comfortable. You're sitting low in it, like a passenger. The seat of the Evolve i-Space will not appeal to tall drivers — the cushion is too short, the lateral support is symbolic, and the range of longitudinal adjustment is more modest than in other cars.
Which car is bigger
The Tenet T8 seems huge compared to the others, but in millimeters it is unexpectedly the shortest and inferior in wheelbase size. Even the Geely crossover is bigger, although it gives the impression of a small car. The longest and tallest is the Evolve i—Space, which also has the largest distance between the axes. Therefore, it is not surprising that the second row is the most spacious, and the trunk is the most spacious. Moreover, the five-seat version has even more space in front of the knees than the seven-seat version. All cars have heated second-row seats, and the floor is almost flat. Only Evolute offers ventilation on the second row.
Dimensions of the Tenet T8: 4725×1860×1705 mm, wheelbase — 2710 mm. The claimed clearance is 196 mm. 18- or 19-inch discs
The Geely rear sofa with a high cushion is the most comfortable, but the trunk is tiny and the third row of seats just wouldn't fit in it. The external dimensions of the EX5 EM-i do not seem to correspond to the internal ones. The second row of the Tenet T8 is inferior to its competitors in terms of legroom. But its third row is the most comfortable than that of the Evolve — the sofa halves are wider, and the air ducts are additionally adjustable. The sofa in the second row will not be able to move forward much — it will become cramped for those sitting on it. Moreover, it is more difficult to get into the T8 gallery because the doorway is not wide enough.
Schemes and expenses
The Geely EX5 EM-i is built according to a series-parallel circuit — the gasoline engine not only charges the battery, but can also be connected to the wheels at high speed. The Evolve i-Space has been converted into a sequential hybrid in Russia for the sake of benefits, that is, its motor is connected to the wheels. The Tenet T8 is a gasoline car with a 2—liter turbo engine and a robotic transmission.
Geely promises that their hybrid can travel about 1,000 km, with more than a hundred of them on battery power. When I picked up the car from the press park, it showed zero "electric" kilometers. At the same time, 20% of the charge remained in the battery — a kind of protection against deep discharge of traction batteries. Like all Chinese hybrids, the EX5 EM-i tries to run on electricity until you turn on the forced charging of the battery from the internal combustion engine. For this car, it turns on slowly — first we put the transmission lever in Drive, and then in Parking. The battery charges quite quickly on the go — in 186 km it is filled from zero to 84%. And without much recuperation — on a slippery road, electronics reduce its efficiency. The average gasoline consumption ranges from 6 liters per 100 km — that's economical!
The EX5 EM-i traction electric motor develops 218 hp and 262 Nm, the gasoline engine — 99 hp and 125 Nm. Acceleration from zero to "hundred" is 8.1 seconds, maximum speed is 170 km/h.
The manufacturer allows the engine to be refueled with a surprisingly high declared efficiency of 46.5% with AI-92 gasoline, but it is hardly worth doing so due to the high compression ratio. The battery supports direct current charging from fast stations and allows you to fill the battery from 30 to 80% in just 20 minutes.
The stated average consumption is 6.2 liters per 100 km. The power reserve for the WLTP cycle is 943 km, and 111 km for electric power only. Lithium iron phosphate battery capacity is 18.4 kWh
The Evolve i-Space is longer—range on paper due to a more capacious battery and a more spacious fuel tank - 1,250 km, of which it can travel 165 km on electric power. However, the battery is more likely to discharge and charge more slowly — it has gained only 22% over a hundred kilometers along the highway. In addition, the battery heating system consumes a lot of energy at the start. The wayward hybrid installation uses an internal combustion engine according to some algorithms of its own, even if all possible forced modes are turned on. Perhaps this feature is due to the fact that a car from the first batch was provided for the test.
The Evolve i-Space traction electric motor develops 218 hp and 330 Nm, the gasoline engine — 90 hp and 125 Nm. Acceleration from zero to "hundred" is 8.1 seconds, maximum speed is 190 km/h.
On the highway, the Evolute internal combustion engine runs at high revs and gasoline consumption increases, while in traffic jams the i-Space stubbornly runs on electricity. The best way to recharge on the go is to drive slowly and non—stop. Or turn on the internal combustion engine in the parking lot — by the way, Geely has such a function, but there is no special need for it.
The stated average consumption is 5.6 liters per 100 km. The power reserve for the WLTP cycle is 1250 km, only on electric power — 165 km. Lithium iron phosphate battery capacity — 25.1 kWh
After the gas station, the flight computer gives out too optimistic figures, and after an hour of driving — too pessimistic. The average consumption of the Evolute is 8.2 liters per 100 km, compared to the 5.6 liters declared by the manufacturer. It is also better to fill up the car with 95 gasoline. I-Space does not support fast direct current charging.
The two—liter Tenet T8 gasoline turbo engine develops 197 hp and 375 Nm, Acceleration from zero to "hundred" is 8.4 seconds, maximum speed is 210 km/h.
The Tenet T8 is the most voracious — 10.2 liters per 100 kilometers, and the power reserve promised by the flight computer is 675 km. This crossover can be fueled with 92nd gasoline. After the hybrids, the T8 seems unnecessarily noisy and vibration-loaded. The engine roars, the robotic transmission pushes when shifting, the suspension collects small things on the road.
The stated average consumption is 8.8 liters per 100 km.
In the EX5 EM-i, it's generally unclear when the internal combustion engine is running and when it connects to the wheels. It's softer on the move. The Evolute is noisier than Geely, the sound of the engine starting is clearly audible, and the suspension is overly relaxed, loudly working out irregularities and allowing for rocking.
Are you ready for winter?
Nevertheless, driving a Tenet, you don't have to worry about how the battery is. Is it charging?" It is better prepared for winter than others — powerful windscreen wipers, all kinds of heating. He is the only one armed with dual-zone climate control. The all-wheel drive works perfectly and offers several electronic modes for different coatings. When it snowed, the front-wheel drive hybrids got stuck in parking lots, and Tenet easily got out of the snow itself, without needing a shovel.
Geely does not waste energy on warming up, it has a windshield with filaments and heated washer nozzles. However, the wiper blades instantly turn brown with a slight "minus" and begin to "smear" on the glass. The luggage door is stuck by frozen ice.
In the packed snow, the crossover is always trying to leave the turn, so you need to be careful with the accelerator pedal. There is no "snow" mode of electronics here, in principle. The stabilization system is working abruptly and nervously. The already shallow snowdrift becomes an insurmountable obstacle for the EX5 EM-i — the car helplessly rotates its wheels.
Geely EX5 EM-i offers six body colors, Evolve i-Space and Tenet T8 — five each.
The Evolve is devoid of electric windshield heating, but its "stove" is powerful and quickly warms up the interior. Windscreen wipers do their job better. The settings of the traction control system make it easy to get out of the snowdrift, and the i-Space behaves more predictably on a rolled-up sheet.
As soon as the charge drops below 20%, the dynamics of i-Space, which in theory should reach "hundreds" in 7.8 seconds, drops noticeably. Geely acceleration is 8.1 seconds to "hundreds". It is imperceptible that its speed depends on the battery charge, like that of the Evolute. The Tenet T8 is slightly slower (8.4 seconds), in addition, all-wheel drive allows you to start in the snow more confidently. Braking is predictable for all three cars, only the i-Space has ventilated brakes installed on two axles. In hybrids, it is possible to slow down using the strongest level of recovery.
Based on the results of the test, an obvious conclusion can be drawn — an all-wheel drive gasoline car is best suited for the Russian winter. However, the hybrid power plant works quite confidently in the cold, there are no electronic failures or significant loss of charge overnight. Even in these conditions, it is preferable in terms of fuel economy.
Dangerous button
Geely has a very unpleasant feature. It turned out that the driver, unaccustomed to it, can easily confuse the buttons on exactly the same steering levers. There is a washer button on the left side, and exactly the same button on the right side, which turns on Parking. Usually on cars, the right lever is responsible for the wipers, hence the confusion. If you press the "Parking" button at speed, a sudden braking impulse occurs, fraught with a collision. Foolproof protection, which is available on Evolute and Tenet, is missing here, and, in theory, Geely urgently needs to recall machines to fix this potentially dangerous flaw.
Evolve has already launched some kind of bug fix — the i-Space has an all-wheel drive version with a fast charging connector. It will be strictly five-bedded.
Almost a million cheaper
Thanks to the state subsidy of 925,000 rubles when buying on credit, which applies to sequential hybrids of the Russian assembly, i-Space costs significantly less than competitors. The recommended price for the simplest option with front—wheel drive is 2 million 560 thousand rubles, and a seven-seater car is 100 thousand rubles more expensive. While for the T8 they ask for 3.61-3.85 million rubles, and for the Geely EX5 EM-i — 3.67–3.97 million rubles. For reference: in Belarus, this hybrid crossover under the pseudonym Belgee costs only 2.4 million in Russian rubles, but in Russia the price is unlikely to be the same.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
