Core Competitiveness of Yutong Light Truck T Series

Recently, Yutong new energy light truck T series were released in Beijing. The launch of this new series not only means that Yutong has quickly completed the upgrading of battery electric light trucks, but also opens the industry 3.0 era marked by “professional commercial electrification platform”. So, why can Yutong Light Truck, as a latecomer, take the lead in entering the 3.0 era of new energy light trucks? What is the core competitiveness of Yutong T series battery electric light trucks built with “professional commercial electrification platform”

First of all, from the perspective of the industry, Yutong Light Truck is truly a newcomer, but this is exactly one of its major advantages. In terms of product R&D layout, Yutong Light Truck doesn’t need to follow the traditional path of converting fuel vehicle to electric vehicle. It started from new energy vehicles and developed a “professional commercial electrification platform” that is more consistent with the characteristics of battery electric light trucks.

Although as a newcomer, the starting point of Yutong Light Truck is not low. Yutong Group, the company behind Yutong Light Truck, has more than 20 years of technology accumulation in new energy commercial vehicles, and independently controls the core industry chains, including motor, electric control and battery. Meanwhile, its team has a group of experienced staff who has been deeply engaged in the light truck industry for many years, so that Yutong Light Truck has a deep understanding of the user market.

Based on the above two points, Yutong Light Truck has inherent competitive advantages: The newly built special electrification platform gives full play to the advantages of electrification and intelligence of battery electric light trucks; Addressing users’ pain points in endurance, comfort and reliability realizes the core selling points and value points of its products.

What is the special platform for electric light trucks? Huang Huan’guo, Assistant to General Manager and Director of Technical Center of Yutong Light Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd., believes that it has three distinctive features: positive development, highly integrated design, and high efficiency and safety.

First of all, the styling of Yutong new energy light truck T series is completely different from that of common products in the market. They not only look more technological, but also are designed completely according to the characteristics of electric vehicles. Its rounded styling is not only for aesthetics, but also to reduce wind resistance. From the front wall to the side wall, from the bumper to the rearview mirror, there is no right-angle design, and small rounded corners are used for transition. In addition, the streamlined air deflector is adjustable like many high-end heavy trucks, according to the height of the cargo compartment, thus effectively reducing the wind resistance of the cargo compartment. Through the above technical means, the wind resistance coefficient of Yutong new energy light truck T series is reduced to 0.47.

The final result of the low wind resistance cab design is an effective reduction in power consumption. It is learned that under the same working condition and the same battery energy, the driving mileage of Yutong new energy light truck T series can be extended by more than 10% compared with similar products. Huang Huan’guo said that when the current battery technology has not achieved a revolutionary breakthrough, it is impossible to increase the battery energy infinitely due to cost and self-weight. The most effective way is to extend the driving range by reducing energy consumption. If the driving range can be extended by 10-20 km with the same battery energy, the charging will be less frequent.

In terms of reducing power consumption and prolonging driving range, in addition to conventional means such as reducing wind resistance and using low-rolling resistance tires, another important measure of Yutong new energy light truck T series is to improve energy utilization efficiency through integrated design. It is also a major advantage brought by Yutong’s new electrification platform, which is derived from the three core technologies of battery, motor and electric control systems independently mastered by Yutong.

Compared with similar products in the market, the batteries of Yutong new energy light truck T series are not arranged along the frame sides, but in the middle of the frame, which is the most obvious structural feature of the special electrification chassis. This arrangement brings many benefits. It frees up space on both sides of the frame, which is convenient for users to install toolbox and other configurations in the future. It can also effectively protect the battery safety in case of a sudden lateral collision. At the same time, the overall weight distribution of the frame is more balanced, thus improving the lateral stability of the vehicle during high-speed driving and turning.

Why can Yutong new energy light truck T series adopt this arrangement? First of all, it adopts electric drive axle technology, which eliminates the traditional drive shaft and leaves space for battery arrangement. More importantly, Yutong Light Truck takes the lead in using the integrated battery pack that features lighter weight, smaller size and higher energy density. Since fewer lines are used than separate battery packs, energy consumption can also be effectively reduced.

In terms of motor, Yutong has also deployed the electric drive axle technology for a long time. Yutong new energy light truck T series are equipped with an integrated electric drive axle, which adopts the design of motor + reducer within the same housing made of aluminum alloy, which is 15% lighter than similar structures. In terms of structure, it adopts three-axis two-stage transmission, which is simpler than the common four-axis three-stage structure, thus improving the transmission efficiency. These will also be conducive to energy consumption of the complete vehicle.

In terms of electric control system, Yutong new energy light truck T series apply Yutong’s mature “ReCtrl” technology. In terms of controller hardware, it is upgraded from five-in-one to seven-in-one, which effectively reduces power consumption and fault rate through a more integrated design. In terms of software, intelligent energy management technology is adopted to realize intelligent and accurate management of electric drive and electric auxiliary system, and the braking energy recovery strategy is also optimized.

Huang Huan’guo said that these technological upgrades by Yutong aim to give full play to the electrification advantages of battery electric light trucks and thus integrate more intelligent networking technologies
It is learned that Yutong has developed two intelligent management platforms for individual users and fleet users. Through the “Yutong Light Truck Digital Operation System”, fleet users can get real-time information on vehicle distribution, vehicle condition, mileage, energy consumption, driving behavior, etc., realizing transparent and scientific management of the whole process of vehicle operation.
The driver can check the vehicle location in real time, remotely control the air conditioner, schedule battery heating, charge, unlock and lock the vehicle, etc. through the mobile version of YT-Link management platform developed by Yutong. These intelligent functions are quite practical for drivers. After the vehicle is exposed to the sun in summer, the temperature in the vehicle is very high, and the driver’s cab can be cooled in advance by remotely turning on the air conditioner. Before driving in winter, you can preheat the battery in advance, so that the battery can enter the best performance state as soon as possible. When charging with a self-owned charging pile, you can plug in the charging gun and make reservation first, and then charge it during the period of off-peak electricity price.

To sum up, the most important goal of Yutong new energy light truck T series is to solve the user's pain points through both the brand-new electrification platform and application of intelligent technologies. With the launch of the T series, Yutong Light Truck featuring core advantages of battery, motor and electric control will drive the market competition of new energy light trucks to a new and higher level.