Understand "WEY Macchiato" and "DHT Hybrid System" in one article!

For a long time, the content reported by Electric State has been more related to "green brand models", and there are less reports on models that need to be purchased with fuel vehicle indicators.

However, today we test-drove an HEV model that can only be refueled, can’t be plugged in for charging, can’t get a green license plate, but drives very much like a pure electric model, this is it↓

▲ WEY——Macchiato

WEY official did not directly claim that Macchiato "drives like a pure electric car", but this feature is definitely the biggest advantage of this car. One of the selling points. Of course, there are many wonderful things about macchiato, which we will discuss in detail later.

Macchiato is only equipped with a small battery pack with a capacity of 1.7kWh, but don’t doubt the electric driving capabilities of this HEV hybrid car.

Based on DHT hybrid technology, Macchiato’s electric energy comes entirely from the internal combustion engine and generator. The battery is just a transfer station for electric energy for this car. At the stage when the internal combustion engine is most efficient, the vehicle will also use the direct drive power form of the internal combustion engine to optimize fuel consumption.

▲ The battery assembly is located under the trunk guard and does not occupy any space.

When the battery is small and the electric drive system completely relies on the internal combustion engine , what kind of experience will Macchiato bring us?

■ Driving experience - the part related to "electricity"

WEY stated in previous publicity that this DHT hybrid system includes "large speed ratio" and "economical". "speed ratio" two-speed direct-drive transmission, then will the internal combustion engine provide stronger power for the vehicle's starting and mid-range acceleration through the large-speed ratio transmission?

The fact is, no.

The strategy for Macchiato’s internal combustion engine to participate in direct drive is: giving priority to working conditions rather than “power demand”.

After repeated trials, during the starting stage of the vehicle, even if we turn on the most powerful sports mode and step on the floor oil, Macchiato will start in EV mode.

At this time, the internal combustion engine is very quiet, but after a while, the internal combustion engine will step in to drive.

Observing the energy flow, the vehicle will enter series mode (the internal combustion engine generates electricity but does not participate in driving) after speeding up to about 15km/h; in the speed range of 35-65km/h, the vehicle will It prefers the direct drive of the internal combustion engine (through a large speed ratio transmission). At this time, if you press the accelerator pedal slightly deeply, the vehicle will immediately enter the parallel mode; when the vehicle speed is above about 65km/h, the vehicle will also give priority to the direct drive mode of the internal combustion engine, but at this time the internal combustion engine It will participate in driving through an economical ratio transmission.

The logic of this hybrid system is very clear: the main purpose is to optimize fuel consumption, and does not emphasize maximizing performance.

Macchiato*** has 3 driving modes to choose from: Eco/Sport/Snow.

Macchiato does not provide an EV mode option. However, when the battery is fully charged, this hybrid system may switch to EV mode under any working conditions and speed.

There are not many modes available to the driver, but the system will select the appropriate driving mode on its own, and the driver will not notice the system frequently "cutting cards."

It is difficult and unnecessary to know which mode the vehicle is driving at all times.

Most of the time, the power output of Macchiato is smooth enough. In the DHT hybrid system, the internal combustion engine only needs to complete one clutch engagement action when participating in driving, instead of going through a set of complex operations of "clutch-shift-clutch" like the cooperation between the internal combustion engine and a traditional transmission.

However, when the accelerator pedal is pressed deeply at medium to high speeds, the vehicle still seems to need a little reaction time, and there will be a little lag in acceleration in the middle and later stages, but the acceleration experience of Macchiato will still be better than that of a car with the same power. A fuel vehicle with a 2.0T engine.

Overall, Macchiato still has a highly smooth power performance.

Official data shows that Macchiato accelerates from 0-60km/h in 4.1 seconds and from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds. This set of data is not bad, but the level is actually only average. After all, this car is more economical.

In today’s 70-kilometer test drive on rural and provincial roads, the fuel consumption of nearly 20 Macchiato test drives was around 5L/100km, the most fuel-efficient one. The car also achieved a low fuel consumption of 3.6L/100km (as for the driving process, you know).

Based on Diandian Bang’s previous experience of test driving Macchiato, everyone can drive it under normal driving conditions with a fuel consumption of 5L/100km in the city and 7L/100km on the highway.

In terms of quietness, Macchiato is a bit special.

The front row of Macchiato is equipped with double-layer soundproof glass, which suppresses wind noise very well. The tire noise suppression of this car is also very good, so there is almost only one source of noise left - the internal combustion engine.

During driving, the internal combustion engine noise of Macchiato will not fluctuate greatly with the depth of the accelerator pedal like traditional fuel vehicles, because it is always in a relatively stable working condition.

The peak noise level of the Macchiato internal combustion engine is obviously much lower than that of a fuel vehicle with the same displacement, but...

Due to the limited battery power , the vehicle may trigger "idle charging" at any time while parking (for example, the air conditioner lowers the battery power). At this time, the noise of Macchiato is higher than that of a traditional fuel vehicle when it is idling. This was supposed to be the low point of noise, but it set off a small climax.

Actually, this is not a disadvantage. It was just the first time we experienced the idle charging of a macchiato that we all thought it was funny.

Driven by the noise of the internal combustion engine, you may think that Macchiato is still a traditional oil car, but its power is surprisingly smooth. If you plug your ears to eliminate interference, you will feel that the acceleration experience of Macchiato is very close to that of a pure electric vehicle with the same power, except that there will be a slight difference and a little lag during intense driving.

In the next part, let’s take a look at the specific operation of the DHT hybrid system equipped with Macchiato.

■ Working principle of "DHT hybrid system"

▲ It doesn't matter if you can't see clearly, it will be broken down below

Pure electric Drive and energy recovery refer to the forward and reverse operation of the battery, motor, and drive mechanism. There is no need to list these two modes in detail. Let’s focus on the key points↓

▲ Schematic diagram of the series mode

"Series mode" performs best in medium and low-speed scenarios. The vehicle is completely driven by pure electricity. In this mode, the internal combustion engine cooperates with the generator to generate electricity. The generator dynamically distributes power to the motor or battery as needed. At this time, the overall driving experience of the vehicle is the same as that of a pure electric vehicle.

In fact, series mode = extended range mode.

When the Ideal ONE, which burns oil and generates electricity, first came out, keyboard warriors criticized it for "taking off your pants and saying P". The reason why no one criticizes BYD's "DM-i" and Great Wall Group's "DHT" may be because the heroes don't know that these systems actually include the working principle of the extended-range system. On the other hand, DM -i. DHT does include parallel mode and internal combustion engine direct drive mode that pure extended-range systems do not have, and high-speed endurance is more guaranteed.

▲ Schematic diagram of parallel mode

"Parallel mode" is the mode with the strongest performance. During hill climbing and rapid acceleration, the electric motor and internal combustion engine drive the vehicle at the same time. , to maximize system power.

In the series mode of the DHT hybrid system, while the battery is supplying power to the motor, the generator is also driving the internal combustion engine speed to climb rapidly through reverse rotation, and the power performance will also be further improved.

▲ Schematic diagram of internal combustion engine direct drive mode

"Internal combustion engine direct drive mode" refers to the internal combustion engine direct drive mechanism to improve the vehicle's high-speed driving ability. After all, electric vehicles The drive system has the disadvantage that the higher the speed, the higher the power consumption.

The reason why Macchiato prefers internal combustion engine direct drive in the 35-65km/h speed range is because internal combustion engine direct drive can increase efficiency by about 3% compared to series mode drive. The medium speed range is the most commonly used speed range in daily driving. Improving efficiency in this speed range has the most direct effect.

In addition, if the internal combustion engine has excess power when driving the vehicle directly, the system can also charge the battery.

■ What type of users is Macchiato suitable for?

Macchiato has a tough appearance, and the whole design elements are full of hard edges and corners. In particular, this chrome-plated mesh with imitation metal texture is both lightweight and powerful.

However, Macchiato basically has nothing to do with sports orientation. With its tough appearance, it is completely a comfort-oriented SUV.