- 2 days ago
Going to China wasn’t just about the Beijing Auto Show. At the invitation of BYD, I spent three intensive days in Zhengzhou – a 13-million aglomeration that houses a major R&D centre and a massive manufacturing plant for New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). In this episode, I summarize everything our hosts showed us, completely unfiltered and straight to the point.
You’ll see spectacular demonstrations on a brand-new test track, including the 3.5-tonne luxury SUV, the Yangwang U8, which can actually float on water and tackle an artificial sand dune. I take a look at automatic parallel parking by shifting the rear axle, and experience the Yangwang U9 electric supercar. I also deconstruct the internet legends about a factory allegedly larger than San Francisco and check how the promises of 1500 kW Flash Charging hold up in practice.
In this video:
The NEV Test Track: Does a 70-metre wading pool and a 28-degree artificial dune impress an automotive journalist?
Tank-style Parking: How the Denza N8L enters a parking spot nose-first and why this innovative solution might be brutal for tyres.
Archimedes' Principle in Automotive: How the million-RMB Yangwang U8 floats, why it's strictly an eme
You’ll see spectacular demonstrations on a brand-new test track, including the 3.5-tonne luxury SUV, the Yangwang U8, which can actually float on water and tackle an artificial sand dune. I take a look at automatic parallel parking by shifting the rear axle, and experience the Yangwang U9 electric supercar. I also deconstruct the internet legends about a factory allegedly larger than San Francisco and check how the promises of 1500 kW Flash Charging hold up in practice.
In this video:
The NEV Test Track: Does a 70-metre wading pool and a 28-degree artificial dune impress an automotive journalist?
Tank-style Parking: How the Denza N8L enters a parking spot nose-first and why this innovative solution might be brutal for tyres.
Archimedes' Principle in Automotive: How the million-RMB Yangwang U8 floats, why it's strictly an eme
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MotorTranscript
00:00In today's episode, a car floats, a car goes up an artificial dune, and a factory the size of San
00:07Francisco, which isn't there.
00:09You're watching Marek Drives, and this is what I saw in China.
00:16Yes, I went to China to see the Beijing Auto Show.
00:19You can watch a separate episode about it by clicking the link on the screen or in the video description.
00:23But the main goal of my hosts, BYD, was to present their latest achievements to the media.
00:30BYD paid for my flight and accommodation, but no one from the company had seen any preview of this episode
00:35before publication,
00:36and they're watching it for the first time with you.
00:39From Warsaw, this is where I'm from, we flew to Beijing from where we went to Zhengzhou, which is about
00:46700 kilometers south of Beijing.
00:48The city of 13 million in Henan province is the 11th largest in China by population,
00:54and we're talking about a sprawling metropolis, as there are no crowds in the streets.
01:00The distance from one end of the city to the other is about 30 kilometers,
01:04and the BYD factory located in the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone is at least twice that distance from the city
01:10center.
01:11This is currently BYD's largest plant producing so-called new energy vehicles, or NEVs,
01:17which, according to the Chinese classification, include plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.
01:23We'll talk about the factory in a moment, but the first day of our official visit began at the newly
01:29opened NEV test track located near the factory.
01:34The facility is part of BYD's Research and Development Center.
01:37It features a nearly 1.8-kilometer-long racetrack, skid pads, and a facility for simulating and testing intelligent driving
01:46functions.
01:47Now, it might sound like your average training track, but this one also features a 70-meter-long wading pool
01:54and a nearly 30-meter-high artificial sand dune with a 28-degree slope.
02:02Now, as a motoring journalist, I've participated in numerous skid pad training exercises,
02:07so these kinds of demonstrations don't really impress me, especially if, instead of improving my driving skills,
02:13they're intended to demonstrate that the car performs as intended.
02:18Now, something may have got lost in translation, but yes, the Denza Z9 GT has excellent traction control,
02:25and thanks to its three electric motors, it's easy to control a car weighing nearly three tons.
02:33Within reason, of course.
02:34The next exercise was more interesting, as for the first time, I was able not only to see,
02:40but also experience in person parallel parking with dragging of a rear axle.
02:46This means that the car, in this case, a 520-centimeter-long Denza N8L,
02:51detects a parallel parking space, but instead of driving past it and backing into it,
02:57it enters diagonally, nose first, and then the electric motors on the rear axle drag it into the gap from
03:05the rear end.
03:06Now, a few observations.
03:07First, our hosts set up a gap for a jumbo jet, but I suspect they wanted to avoid situations
03:13where the system doesn't detect the space on the first try or doesn't complete the maneuver in one go.
03:18So, that's logistics.
03:19Secondly, at first glance, this parking method seems unnecessary,
03:23since one can usually parallel park a car backwards,
03:27and even if you can't do it properly,
03:29an average parking assistant available in almost every car segment for the last 10 years can.
03:35After some thought, however, I've come to the conclusion
03:37that the problem with parallel parking might not be the driver's technique,
03:41but the behavior of other drivers.
03:43When you pass the space and stop to engage reverse,
03:47the driver behind you is often already on your bumper,
03:49and even if they want to back up to let you maneuver,
03:52they often can't because they have another tailgating champion behind them.
03:56From this perspective, entering a parking space forward
04:00and then dragging the rear axle makes sense,
04:04but thirdly, it's a tire shredder.
04:07The Denza N8L weighs 3 tons,
04:10so just by simply driving, it's eating through the tires
04:14like a dog left alone with a bag of kibble.
04:16And the added friction from spinning wheels like tank trucks
04:20certainly doesn't help.
04:22Our demonstration took place in the rain,
04:24but it must be much harsher on the tires when the tarmac is dry,
04:28and imagine all the smoke and tire dust.
04:30There was also a demonstration of reverse parking and exiting.
04:33It was one of the most confident, if not aggressive, parking maneuvers
04:38I've seen done by an automatic system.
04:41Of course, we were on a track in a controlled environment,
04:44and the system was able to operate at 100%.
04:46I don't know if or how quickly the car would maneuver in real traffic,
04:52where there are other moving objects, including people.
04:55Now, the next demonstration was perhaps the most spectacular,
04:58as it took place in a wading pool.
05:01You've probably already seen videos online of an SUV floating on water
05:06and wondered how, why, and what for.
05:10Well, let me explain.
05:12The model in question is the Yang Wang U8.
05:16Yes, it's another BYD brand, but it's not the same car
05:20as the Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8,
05:23also known as the Denza B8 and the Leopard 8,
05:27even though at first glance they look similar.
05:29Yang Wang is BYD's highest-ranking brand in China.
05:34Next comes Fang Cheng Bao and then Denza.
05:38Now, the export Yang Wang and Fang Cheng Bao models
05:41are sold worldwide under the Denza brand
05:44because no one outside China fully understands
05:47the differences between the brands and models.
05:50In any case, the Yang Wang U8 is a luxury SUV
05:55costing around €150,000 in China,
05:59probably double that if you import it to Europe.
06:03It's a plug-in hybrid with nearly 1,200 horsepower,
06:06a combination of a 2-liter petrol engine and an electric motor,
06:10which draws power from a 49-kilowatt-hour traction battery.
06:13That's more than the BYD Dolphin Surf EV Super Mini.
06:18And it floats.
06:19How?
06:21Well, Archimedes' Principle of Buoyancy
06:24states that any object submerged in a fluid
06:27experiences an upward buoyant force
06:30equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.
06:33In layman's terms, the cabin is airtight,
06:37the windows close, the ventilation switches
06:39to recirculation mode, and only the sunroof opens
06:41to provide an escape route in case of emergency.
06:43It's basically a large container
06:45filled with air that floats on water.
06:48Water only enters the engine bay
06:50and we'll get to that in a moment.
06:52Now, in this sailing mode,
06:54the car is propelled and steered by rotating of the wheels.
06:58It doesn't move fast at up to 3 kilometers per hour,
07:01and it doesn't travel very far,
07:03as it can float for up to half an hour.
07:05Now, BYD isn't advertising this as a recreational feature,
07:09but rather an emergency solution in case of flash floods,
07:13something for wealthy people
07:15whose only fear is losing their lives
07:17before they can upload their wisdom to the cloud.
07:22After a bath like this,
07:24the car must undergo service,
07:25which will cost around 2,000 euro plus parts.
07:29But can you put a price on life?
07:32And just to be clear,
07:34BYD doesn't have a monopoly on floating cars.
07:36The Jetur G700 can also do this,
07:39and apparently it doesn't require an inspection
07:41after each submersion.
07:44Next up was a truck drive
07:46behind the wheel of the Yangguang U9,
07:48an electric supercar,
07:50the extreme version of which,
07:51until recently,
07:53held the title of the world's fastest car.
07:56While waiting for our turn,
07:58we had the opportunity to familiarize ourself
08:00with the track on a simulator,
08:02and I suspect that seeing our skills,
08:04or at least mine,
08:05and considering the weather conditions,
08:07the organizers decided to dial down
08:10most of U9's 3,000 horsepower,
08:13but even so,
08:14in the corners,
08:15I felt enough G-force
08:17that I didn't mind getting only two laps.
08:20The U9 is fast and capable,
08:22point proven.
08:24Off-road track sessions were scheduled for the next day,
08:27but to give us a taste of what the Yangguang U8 can do off-road,
08:30the organizers showed us a climb up an artificial sand dune.
08:34At first glance,
08:35it might seem easy,
08:36but I have enough experience getting stuck in the desert
08:40to know that it's much more complicated than it seems.
08:44High power,
08:45high torque,
08:45and independent control of the motors on each wheel
08:48certainly help here.
08:50This will be a hit in Dubai.
08:53Drift enthusiasts will also be delighted,
08:55as the high power,
08:57torque from zero,
08:58and the ability to disengage traction control
09:00offer a wealth of possibilities.
09:02You just need plenty of space,
09:05and preferably a closed truck,
09:06as your local supermarket roundabout
09:08might prove insufficient.
09:10Now,
09:11before we drift away completely,
09:13the hosts decided to show us their pride and joy,
09:15the largest NEV factory.
09:18Construction began in September 2021,
09:20and the first cars rolled off the assembly line in April 2023.
09:24Now,
09:25there are some rumors regarding this factory
09:27circling the internet,
09:28source of which is unclear.
09:30Some online outlets cite unconfirmed information
09:33claiming the factory has a larger area than San Francisco,
09:37covering over 121 square kilometers,
09:40or 12,000 hectares.
09:42There is a lot to unpack here.
09:44First of all,
09:45I've never been to San Francisco,
09:46and my only association with the city
09:48are the Golden Gate Bridge,
09:50Hilly Terrain,
09:51and the sitcom Full House.
09:53San Francisco, however,
09:54isn't the metropolis we might imagine
09:56when we picture the 2,700 meter long Golden Gate Bridge.
10:00In terms of area,
10:01San Francisco is somewhere between Turin and Toulouse.
10:05That's not to say that a factory the size of Toulouse
10:08isn't enormous.
10:09It is.
10:09Or rather,
10:10it would be because
10:12it doesn't exist.
10:14Let me explain.
10:16The report circulating online
10:18about BYD's largest factory
10:19were based on visualizations
10:21that depict not only production halls,
10:25but also yards where the cars sit awaiting transport,
10:28as well as housing and recreational infrastructure
10:30for the employees of this future factory city.
10:34When asked about the details,
10:36BYD representatives didn't have a clear answer.
10:39There's no mention of this on the BYD press website,
10:43and I assume that during one of the media tours,
10:46someone misinterpreted something,
10:48and that's how this rumor started.
10:51Regarding the factory itself,
10:53satellite images show
10:55that the currently operating facility
10:57covers approximately 10 square kilometers,
10:59with construction underway
11:00to double that number.
11:02At least seven models are produced here,
11:05including BYD Dolphin Surf.
11:07Now, BYD boasts a high degree of automation,
11:10reportedly exceeding 98%.
11:11I don't know the methodology behind this claim.
11:14While automating, stamping, welding, and painting
11:18is nothing new or unique,
11:20the assembly line, final assembly,
11:22still requires human workers.
11:24Now, filming opportunities at the factory
11:26were controlled and limited,
11:28so much of what I'm showing you now
11:29is BYD stock footage.
11:31However, I had the impression,
11:33and I wasn't alone,
11:35that for a plant capable of producing
11:37one car per minute,
11:38the density of equipment and cars
11:39on production lines
11:40was rather underwhelming.
11:45More...
11:49More is happening
11:50at the much smaller Stellantis factory
11:52in Tychy,
11:53and during Fiat's peak activity there,
11:56one car left the Tychy factory
11:58every 46 seconds.
12:01And that was the end
12:03of the first day of our tour.
12:05The second day began
12:07with a one-and-a-half-hour coach ride
12:09to the off-road track.
12:10This wasn't the paved track
12:12we saw on the first day
12:13at the test center,
12:14but a private track
12:15rented specifically for this event.
12:17It had clay tracks,
12:19which, due to heavy rainfall
12:21the previous day,
12:22were much muddier
12:23than the organizers
12:25had anticipated.
12:26Therefore, the decision was made
12:27to limit media activity
12:29behind the wheel
12:29to a short, low-speed route.
12:32Here again,
12:33the Yangguang U8
12:34flexed its muscles,
12:36coping remarkably well
12:37for a three-and-a-half-ton behemoth.
12:39Of course,
12:40the cars were fitted
12:41with off-road tires,
12:42and thanks to the pneumatic suspension,
12:44the ground clearance
12:44was significantly raised,
12:46but even this
12:47didn't prevent minor damage.
12:48One car had bent
12:50the automatically extending sidesteps
12:53that interfered
12:54with the plastic door cladding.
12:55Now, for people
12:56who are into off-road,
12:57this would be just
12:58cosmetic matter,
12:59but here,
13:00it simply made it difficult
13:01to change drivers
13:02as the organizers
13:03didn't want to simply
13:04rip out a damaged component.
13:07Now,
13:08there was also a test drive
13:09in the Fang Cheng Bao Ti7,
13:12also known as
13:13the Leopard Titanium 7,
13:14and in Europe,
13:15it will be known
13:15as the BYD Ti7 DMI.
13:18DMI means
13:19it's a plug-in hybrid.
13:20It has a 1.5-liter engine
13:22and a 26
13:23or a 36-kilowatt-hour
13:25traction battery.
13:26The car looks great,
13:27by the way.
13:27You can find out
13:28more about this car
13:30in the episode
13:30from the Beijing Auto Show.
13:32And,
13:32since the second part
13:34of the track
13:34was relatively fast
13:35and twisty,
13:36an experienced driver
13:37was behind the wheel
13:38of the Ti7,
13:39and we simply watched him
13:40struggle on the
13:41slippery clay surface.
13:42And,
13:42yes,
13:43the car drives,
13:44and that's pretty much it,
13:46I have to say about it.
13:47The third day
13:48was our last
13:49in Zhengzhou.
13:50In the morning,
13:51we were taken
13:51to a BYDDI space.
13:54It's a kind of museum
13:55connected to showrooms
13:56of all BYD brands.
13:57I suspect it's much better
13:59to experience it
14:00when you speak Chinese
14:01or in a smaller group.
14:03Now,
14:04there were several dozen
14:05of us divided
14:05into two large groups
14:06with guides and interpreters.
14:08And,
14:08yes,
14:09in 30 years,
14:10BYD came a long way,
14:11or rather,
14:12made a galactic leap forward
14:13from a manufacturer
14:14of cell phone batteries
14:15to one of the largest
14:16manufacturers
14:17of modern electric
14:18and hybrid cars
14:19in the world.
14:20The final highlight
14:21of the Zhengzhou program
14:23was supposed to be
14:24a demonstration
14:25of flash charging,
14:26BYD's new
14:26fast charging technology.
14:28Now,
14:28what you see here
14:29in the cutaways
14:30is merely a demonstration
14:32what the infrastructure
14:33will look like
14:34for certain reasons
14:35the charging demo
14:36didn't happen as planned.
14:38Flash charging enabled cars
14:40will accept
14:41up to 1500 kilowatts,
14:44allowing them
14:44to recharge
14:45from 10 to 97%
14:46state of charge
14:47in nine minutes
14:48under optimal conditions,
14:49charging from 10 to 70%
14:51would take just five minutes.
14:52BYD claims
14:53that even at minus
14:5430 degrees Celsius
14:55charging from 20 to 97%
14:57will only take 12 minutes.
15:00Batteries capable
15:00of handling
15:01this level of power
15:02are now only found
15:04in the Denza Z9 GT,
15:06but they are also expected
15:07to be used
15:08in other models
15:09including BYD.
15:10This, of course,
15:11will require
15:11a new network
15:12of chargers
15:13which BYD is planning
15:14to start installing
15:15in Europe alone
15:16as well
15:16as with charging
15:18network partners.
15:19The charging network
15:20consists of this
15:21distinctive
15:22T-shaped structure
15:23with charging cables
15:25extending from it.
15:26Next to it
15:27are two energy storage units
15:28with a capacity
15:29of 185 kilowatt hours each.
15:32These will recharge
15:33at a lower rate
15:34than they could output.
15:36At full capacity,
15:37this should be enough
15:38to charge vehicles
15:40with 100 kilowatt hour
15:41batteries
15:41one after another
15:42within the 10 to 97% range.
15:45We'll see how it works
15:47in real life
15:47when such stations
15:48become available
15:49closer to home.
15:51The next stage
15:52of our trip
15:53was the Beijing Motor Show
15:55which I have
15:55a separate episode
15:56on my channel.
15:58What do you think
15:59about what I saw
16:00in Zhengzhou?
16:01Did anything
16:02catch your eye?
16:04Let me know
16:05in the comment section below.
16:08If you like my sarcastic
16:09down-to-earth
16:10and possibly
16:11mildly amusing
16:12car reviews,
16:13join me every Friday
16:14at 3pm
16:15Central European time
16:16and don't forget
16:17to subscribe
16:18and like this video
16:19as it helps me
16:20with the YouTube algorithm.
16:22Thanks for watching
16:23and I will see you
16:24in the next one.
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