Geely automobile: multi-technology path layout, soaring on the new energy road

In 2022, Geely Automobile sold 329,000 new energy vehicles, with a year-on-year increase of 300%, accounting for 23% of the total sales. The penetration rate of new energy vehicles in a single month exceeded 30% for many times, far exceeding the national average growth rate of 93.4%, making it the fastest growing car enterprise in China.

In 2023, Geely Automobile will also launch nine new energy vehicles to accelerate the transformation of new energy and intelligence. It is estimated that by 2025, Geely Automobile’s new energy sales will account for more than 50%.

In recent years, Geely Automobile has accelerated the transformation of new energy, and the multi-technology path layout such as hybrid, pure electricity, electricity exchange and methanol is supporting Geely’s green and low-carbon development ambition for the future. Geely Automobile promises to reduce carbon emissions of bicycles by more than 25% in the whole life cycle by 2025, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

The fourth generation emgrand hybrid car. Photo courtesy of Geely Automobile

Geely new energy automobile force

In 2022, despite the impact of the epidemic, new energy vehicles continued to explode. According to the data of China Automobile Association, the production and sales of new energy vehicles were 7.058 million and 6.887 million respectively this year, up by 96.9% and 93.4% respectively. Among them, the sales volume of pure electric vehicles was 5.365 million, an increase of 81.6% year-on-year; The sales volume of plug-in hybrid vehicles was 1.518 million, a year-on-year increase of 1.5 times.

With the support of strong scientific and technological innovation ability and manufacturing capacity, Geely Automobile has become a new energy vehicle enterprise in transition with a growth rate of 300%.

Geely Automobile’s "ESG Report 2022" shows that this year, Geely Automobile focused on new energy transformation and launched more competitive new energy automobile products, among which the sales of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles reached 262,253 and 66,474 respectively. The sales volume of new energy vehicles was 328,727, accounting for 22.9% of the total sales volume, while the proportion in 2021 was only 6.9%.

In order to seek the advantage of new energy vehicles, Geely Automobile has made frequent efforts in recent years. According to Geely Automobile, the Geely brand is expected to launch seven Galaxy series new energy mid-to high-end products within two years; Leading brand will increase investment in research and development of new energy products, and it is expected to launch seven brand-new products within three years, and stop investment in research and development of fuel vehicles; Extreme Krypton brand is expected to launch 6 smart pure electric products within 3 years.

It is understood that Geely Automobile’s new energy vehicles have completely covered all market segments and formed a certain leading edge. Whether it’s the economical geometric series, the mid-to-high-end Galaxy series or the extreme krypton series of luxury brands, they have achieved corresponding results in their respective markets and won the recognition of consumers.

Geely brand’s new energy vehicles are divided into two series: Geometry and Galaxy. Among them, Geometry Series covers the pure electric market segment of "economical new energy". In 2022, Geometry E and Geometry G6/M6 models were launched, and the total sales volume of Geometry Series reached 149,389 vehicles, up by 170% year-on-year. In 2023, the Geometry Series will launch the pure electric mini-car "Geely Geometry Panda Mini".

Galaxy L7-1. Photo courtesy of Geely Automobile

At the beginning of 2023, Geely Automobile launched the Geely Galaxy series, intensively cultivating the "middle and high-end new energy" market segment, which includes two major routes of electric hybrid and pure electric respectively, and plans to launch three smart pure electric vehicles between 2023 and 2025, including the Geely Galaxy E8 pure electric car in 2023. All products of Geely Galaxy will be equipped with advanced and leading technologies such as "Aegis battery safety system".

Krypton is positioned in the luxury pure electric vehicle market, and its first model, Krypton 001, is the first intelligent luxury pure electric coupe based on Geely’s vast intelligent evolution architecture (SEA). In 2022, the sales volume of Krypton 001 was 71,941 vehicles, ranking first in the sales volume of China brand pure electric vehicles with more than 300,000 vehicles. In November 2022, Krypton launched the first medium and large pure electric MPV, Krypton 009, with a cruising range of 822 kilometers under CLTC conditions. It is the world’s first pure electric MPV with a cruising range of more than 700 kilometers, and it was delivered in January 2023. In 2023, Krypton will launch the pure electric SUV Krypton X and a new pure electric car, and will enter the European market to accelerate the process of electric globalization in order to achieve the goal of selling 650,000 vehicles in 2025.

Extreme krypton X-2. Photo courtesy of Geely Automobile

Ruilan is a brand of electric vehicle products under the joint venture of Geely Automobile and Lifan Technology (Group) Co., Ltd., and its characteristics of fast power exchange not only improve the operating efficiency of B-end, but also provide users with convenient experience in using pure electric vehicles. In 2022, Ruilan’s sales volume was 56,140 vehicles, and it has established its power exchange ecological services in Hangzhou, Chongqing, Jinan, Tianjin, Nanjing, Changsha and Suzhou. In November, 2022, Ruilan launched Ruilan 9, the first battery-changing SUV, which supports four charging methods: 1-minute fast battery changing, 40-minute fast charging, 7-kilowatt household charging pile and 2-kilowatt slow charging. Ruilan will launch Ruilan R7 in 2023.

Ultra-low emission technology continues to exert its strength.

With the understanding of green and low-carbon development of new energy vehicles in China becoming more and more mature, it is found that the improvement of automobile energy efficiency and the lightweight of automobile consumables are equally important today when new energy and traditional energy are developing side by side.

Geely Automobile continues to develop ultra-low emission technology to meet stricter emission regulations, and improves the thermal efficiency of the engine through small-displacement energy-saving technology, reduces the energy loss of the engine, and reduces the energy consumption and emissions during the use stage such as blending and oil blending.

It is reported that in 2021, Geely Automobile released a hybrid platform, which consists of a high-performance hybrid engine, a DHT Pro transmission and a power battery. Combined with the performance of recycled materials and lightweight, it can effectively reduce the carbon emissions in the vehicle life cycle. In 2022, the high-performance hybrid engine BHE15 of Raytheon was awarded the title of "Top Ten Engines of China Heart in 2022", which is the ninth consecutive year that Geely Automobile Engine won this award.

At the same time, Geely Automobile continuously enriches the layout of hybrid products based on Raytheon power technology, bringing users a low-carbon travel experience with low energy consumption, low emissions and long battery life. The official acceleration time of Xingyue L Raytheon Hi·F, which was listed in 2022, is 7.9 seconds, the comprehensive fuel consumption of WLTC is 4.79 liters /100 kilometers, and the official measured comprehensive endurance is over 1,300 kilometers. In 2022, Geely brand and Lectra have a total of 5 hybrid electric vehicles and 3 plug-in hybrid vehicles equipped with Raytheon hybrid system. It is estimated that by 2023, 14 models equipped with Raytheon hybrid system will be put into production and listed.

Link 08. Photo courtesy of Geely Automobile

At the beginning of 2023, Geely Automobile launched a new generation of "Raytheon Hybrid Engine B-Plus". By 2024, it is expected that four smart hybrid products will be introduced into the Geely Galaxy series, including the SUV Geely Galaxy L7 and the car Geely Galaxy L6, which will be launched in 2023. Geely Yinhe L7 has an ultra-high thermal efficiency of 44.26%, and it is equipped with predictive energy management system in intelligent control, which brings ultra-low energy consumption and energy recharge efficiency, and the energy saving rate can be increased by up to 15%. At the same time, its Raytheon electric hybrid 8848 system can accelerate 100 kilometers for 6.9 seconds; The fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only 5.23 liters; CLTC has a comprehensive cruising range of 1,370 kilometers.

Up to now, a total of 22 models of Geely Automobile have been selected into the list of green design products of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and 9 models have obtained the C-ECAP white gold medal certification, and the number of selected models is the first in the industry.

In terms of procurement and lightweight consideration, Geely Automobile selects lightweight materials, and constantly develops new technologies and materials to effectively reduce the weight, energy consumption and carbon emissions of automobiles. At present, Geely Automobile has verified 22 advanced lightweight materials and processes for the first time. By the end of 2022, 25 advanced lightweight materials and processes have been applied to the listed models, of which 15 models in 2022 adopted aluminum alloy front anti-collision beam and steering knuckle lightweight materials; Ultra-fine fiber sound insulation pad and high-pressure vacuum die-casting aluminum alloy vibration reduction tower have achieved weight reduction of 45% and 30% respectively, and have been applied to many models. A number of advanced lightweight materials and processes are adopted in Krypton 009, including mass-produced integrated die-cast floor, in which aluminum alloy accounts for 23.9%, high-strength steel and thermoformed steel accounts for 42.7%. The structure is the first time to apply the central passage of continuous variable cross-section panel and the plastic spare tire storage box.

Multi-path low-carbon roads gradually widen.

At present, automobiles have become one of the main sources of carbon emissions in China. Geely Automobile has set a target, taking 2020 as the base year, in 2025, the carbon emission of a single vehicle will be reduced by more than 25%, and it will be carbon neutral by 2045. However, according to Geely Automobile’s "ESG Report 2022", 76.38% of a car’s life cycle carbon emissions come from the user side. Therefore, the green low-carbon automobile fuel has always been a major proposition.

In addition to hybrid technology and pure electric technology, Geely Automobile continues to develop technologies such as methanol alternative fuel and hydrogen fuel cell to create a new energy diversification system for automobile products. Methanol vehicle is an important part of Geely Automobile’s diversified energy system, and has been deeply cultivated for 18 years. In 2022, the fourth-generation Emgrand hybrid car equipped with Raytheon hybrid system was launched, which was the world’s first methanol hybrid car, equipped with a 1.8-liter hybrid engine and hybrid electric drive transmission. The alcohol consumption decreased by over 40%, and the alcohol consumption per 100 kilometers was 9.2 liters, and the travel cost per kilometer was lower than that of 0.3 yuan. Every 10,000 kilometers, it can reduce carbon by about 0.8 tons.

Anyang Geely’s green low-carbon methanol factory. Bai huabing/map

In February 2023, the first 100,000-ton green low-carbon methanol plant jointly invested by Geely Holding Group and Shuncheng Group of Henan Province was officially put into operation in Anyang, which is a plant for producing green low-carbon methanol by hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. Because the leading carbon dioxide capture and purification process is adopted, 110,000 tons of green low-carbon methanol is produced every year, and 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide can be directly reduced. At the same time, Geely Automobile is also actively exploring more carbon capture technologies, using by-product coke oven gas and carbon dioxide in captured industrial waste gas as raw materials, and combining the leading green methanol synthesis process of Iceland Carbon Recycling Company to obtain more green low-carbon methanol.

In terms of hydrogen fuel engine, Geely Automobile still continues to use the main structure and system of traditional internal combustion engine, but taking industrial by-product hydrogen as the main fuel can significantly reduce fuel cost and achieve lower carbon emissions. During the reporting period, the hydrogen fuel engine independently developed by Geely Automobile can achieve an effective thermal efficiency of 44%, and the thermal efficiency index is at the leading level in China.

The carbon emissions at the manufacturing end mainly come from direct emissions during vehicle production and indirect emissions generated by energy consumption during base operation. Geely Automobile focuses on energy saving and consumption reduction and clean energy substitution to promote carbon reduction at the manufacturing end. Geely Automobile has set an action route to reduce emissions by 50% at the manufacturing end by 2025. In 2022, the energy consumption of a single vehicle and the total greenhouse gas emissions of the vehicle base decreased by 12.10% and 24.78% respectively compared with 2020.

On the supply side, Geely Automobile implements green procurement to help suppliers improve their carbon management capabilities, so as to drive the supply side to reduce carbon. At present, the goal of reducing the carbon emissions of the supply side of each vehicle series (new energy vehicles and fuel vehicles respectively) by an average of 20% in 2025 has been set, and it has been gradually implemented.

It can be seen that the green and low-carbon development of Geely Automobile has formed a joint development force from the end of use to the end of manufacturing and then to the end of supply, which has promoted enterprises to accelerate their arrogance on the scheduled road of sustainable development.

Bai Huabing, researcher of Beijing News Zero Carbon Research Institute

Proofread Liu Baoqing