The concept in question – the E-jet Concept – was the star of the GAC stand. The exterior design was not far off what we’d expect from more established automakers at a big show, with a generally pleasing shape and some cool detailing on the grille and rear valence. The E-jet is set up as a Voltesque range-extended hybrid, with a 1.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine acting as a generator for an electric drive motor. The motor output is listed as 127 horsepower (95 kW) and 168 pound-feet of torque, though the total system output is unknown. In any event, the car isn’t particularly quick – the only acceleration specification listed is a 0-50 kilometers per hour (0-31 miles per hour) time of around 4.5 seconds, with a top speed of just under 99 mph.
There was a sedan on stage called simply Trumpchi 4WD Hybrid, which is reportedly ready to go on sale in China in the next few months. GAC has produced 200 units of the Hybrid for testing and demonstration purposes so far. The Trumpchi sedan will be the first all-wheel-drive “full hybrid” for sale in China, and makes use of an electric motor in conjunction with its 1.8-liter, 142-hp engine. True to its name, the sedan also offers real-time all-wheel drive.
The final vehicle shown, was the Trumpchi GS5 BEV, which we take to mean “Battery Electric Vehicle,” a fully electric, small crossover. A non-electric version of the GS5 SUV is already for sale in China, and we were told the EV would be available before too long.
While the GAC presentation was largely to-the-point and uneventful relative to other Chinese automaker pressers that we’ve attended, we did find the specification sheets for the two production cars to be replete with good/bad mistranslations. Lost in transmission were the meanings behind options like “Lamp of Sleeve,” “Grainy Gearshift Levers” and the handy “Portable Ashtray.” Though it was the utterly cryptic “Tweeter & Sackbut” feature that we’ll be puzzling over the longest.
Find out a little bit more about all three vehicles, in the full press release below.
Compact NEV E-JET，powerful, efficient and green，is a Range-Extended electric car with fashionable and modern appearance, designed by GAC Engineering based on its independently developed brand-new compact passenger vehicle platform. Equipped with a 95 kW (peak) permanent magnet motor and a 13kwh lithium-ion battery pack, E-JET can achieve a top speed of 160kph, an acceleration from 0 to 50kph within 4.5 seconds, and a gradeability higher than 32%. With its excellent energy management strategy and lightweight technology, E-JET can have a pure electric drive range of more than 100km. E-JET uses a 1.0L gasoline engine and a 30 kW PM generator as the range-extender to charge the battery when the battery SOC is low, which extends the total drive range to more than 600km with a fuel consumption of less than 2L/100km (NEDC cycle).
In pure electric drive mode, E-JET has demonstrated the advantage of zero tailpipe emission, low noise and low energy cost. In range-extending mode, comparing to battery-only EVs, there will be no more “range anxiety” thanks to the on-board range-extender, and as well, the vehicle cost is dramatically reduced. As a whole, E-JET works much better than conventional vehicles both in fuel economy and emission.
4×4 HYBRID Version of TRUMPCHI Sedan
4×4 HYBRID Version of TRUMPCHI Sedan is the first mass-produced full hybrid vehicle with all-wheel-drive feature in China, independently developed by GAC Engineering based on its mid-high class vehicle platform. It differs from the conventional Trumpchi sedan, mainly by adding an ISG (Integrated Starter/Generator) between the engine and the transmission at the front axle, a ERAD (Electrical Rear Axle Drive) PM motor onto the rear axle and an advanced lithium ion battery pack mounted back to the back seat. With this configuration, it has all the functions a full hybrid supposed to have: electric drive, engine automatic stop/start, regeneration brake/cruise, engine assist, etc. Further, the 4×4 hybrid has additionally a unique function of gear shift power assist, namely, during the gear shift the ERAD motor can provide power assist from the rear axle when the clutch is opened at the front, achieving a seamless gear shift of the RMT (Robotized Mechanical Transmission) without any torque interruption. In addition, this hybrid can automatically switch between 2WD and 4WD drive mode, depending on the real driving situation. Comparing to conventional Trumpchi, the 4×4 hybrid version has demonstrated excellent fuel economy (30% fuel saving), acceleration (2 seconds less from 0 to 100kph), drivability and ride comfort.
BEV Version of Trumpchi GS5 SUV
BEV Version of Trumpchi GS5 SUV, a prototype pure Electric Vehicle with exhilarating performance and charging convenience, is developed independently by GAC Engineering with support of AC Propulsion Inc. based on GAC’s Trumpchi GS5 SUV. It is powered by a super efficient induction motor controlled with a highly integrated Power Electronics Unit. The high speed motor provides instantaneously available 225 Nm of torque and up to 150 kW (200 hp) of power, enabling a 0 to 100kph acceleration within 8.5 seconds. The Power Electronics Unit integrates the motor drive electronics and onboard charger to minimize system cost. The 18 kW high power charger allows a recharge time as fast as 2 hours and features bi-directional power capability, thus Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Vehicle-to-House and Vehicle-to-Vehicle power flow are all possible. The 35 kWh Li-Ion battery pack is mounted low for excellent vehicle stability and is controlled by a dedicated battery management system. The highly efficient drive train and excellent energy management system enable the vehicle to achieve a drive range of 100 miles at 60 mph.
