From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 214 Starlight L7, Engineering Prototype Rolls Off the Production Line!

8 month 20 day.

The first batch of engineering prototypes of the Starry Night L7 have officially rolled off the production line!

It is not one of those prototype vehicles that lacked intelligent driving capabilities, or had incomplete functions or hardware.

This batch of engineering prototypes is virtually indistinguishable from the final production vehicles in terms of hardware, functionality, and appearance.

The basic information of the entire vehicle has already been submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

However, the public announcement period has not yet begun.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's public announcement period is expected to last until one month before the new car's launch, at which time the information will be disclosed to the public simultaneously.

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The testing ground at the R&D center.

A batch of brand-new, tall engineering prototype vehicles were parked in the center of the site.

The metallic paints of various colors shimmer like mirrors under the sunlight. The paint texture, polished by imported spraying technology, has a delicate pearlescent sheen, reflecting a gradient of high-end feel from different angles.

Combined with a length of 5030mm, a width of 1980mm, and a height of 1800mm.

The imposing presence of this large SUV is overwhelming!
"Mr. Xu, this time our metallic paint uses the same level of coatings as BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) that cost 500,000 RMB. From the primer to the clear coat, we use the high-end product lines of the world's top suppliers."

The varnish used is from BASF in Germany, which is known in the industry as top-grade parrot varnish.

Moreover, it's a custom-made model.

With an average refractive index exceeding 1.55, light reflection is more uniform. After being sprayed in the workshop, it undergoes three polishing processes to achieve its current 'liquid metal' texture.

The crowd gathered around the prototype, their eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and excitement.

Some people simply reached out and touched it.

They've been struggling for so long.

Although this isn't the first engineering prototype to roll off the production line, I'm still incredibly excited!!
Wang Jingming then took the opportunity to tell Xu Yi about their "superficial work" with the car.

As the saying goes—

When judging a person, look at their clothes first; when judging a car, look at its paint first.

The paint job on the new Xingchen L7 clearly represents a significant investment of resources and effort.

Besides its size and proportions, the most important factor in showcasing a car's luxury is the quality of its original paint.

A top-tier original factory paint that combines craftsmanship and aesthetics can enhance the texture by 20%–30% without altering the appearance.

Previously, they not only used inferior paints, but their equipment was also not precise enough to produce the paint finish of high-end luxury cars.

It is different now.

With the completion of the second phase of the F1 factory, the equipment has been upgraded again, and the precision is now on par with top-tier imported mass-produced cars from around the world.

Thanks to the upgrade of equipment and technology, the thickness error of the entire paint surface is extremely low. Even the paint surface of the gaps in the car doors and the edges of the hood is completely consistent, and there is no sense of flaws.

Apart from the paint, the entire vehicle retains the family's signature "star ring design".

The front features a 1.5-meter-long continuous LED star ring headlight, which contains 72 high-brightness, high-dynamic, and high-frequency LED beads.

When the daytime running lights are lit, they resemble a circle of flowing starlight.

Below the headlights is a semi-closed grille.

Because range-extended vehicles don't require such a large air intake for heat dissipation, they might even be mistaken for fully enclosed models if you don't look closely.

The surface is treated with a delicate matte black texture, and with the air guides on both sides, wind resistance is reduced. The overall design has the technological feel of a new generation of new energy vehicles, but it does not appear too aggressive or ostentatious.

After all, this car is marketed as a "family luxury SUV".

Even if it's designed to be luxurious, it's not the ostentatious or arrogant type.

Instead, it has a softer overall feel and has been optimized through design, giving it a tranquil and sophisticated look.

"We invested more money in wind resistance, and the wind tunnel test took a total of 1,200 hours. In the end, we achieved the best energy consumption optimization for the whole vehicle and a drag coefficient of 0.264cd," he continued with a smile.

Xu Yi boasted at the press conference that they had conducted nearly a thousand hours of wind tunnel testing and spent nearly ten million yuan, but in reality, their Starry Sky S7 only cost a few million yuan.

This time it's different.

The Starry Sky L7 truly represents a significant investment, with wind tunnel costs exceeding ten million yuan.

This alone is enough to make ordinary second-rate car companies feel the pinch.

Almost every detail that could be improved in terms of appearance has been optimized.

This thing can be made perfectly the first time, and all subsequent mass production benefits will follow.

The research and development team naturally strives for perfection.

Upon opening the car door, the interior layout comes into view.

A traditional round steering wheel with a column shifter.

A huge AMOLED screen in the front row is eye-catching. This screen is a specially made high-brightness, long-life model. In addition to the long customization cycle, the procurement cost is also quite high.

The rest of the space maintains Starry Sky's consistent minimalist and sophisticated style, but this time it appears even more upscale and design-oriented.

Almost all surfaces that can be touched by hand are covered with 100% soft material.

The interior of the seats features extensive use of Nappa leather and cloud-patterned wood trim.

The center console features a T-shaped layout, with a square wireless charging pad for mobile phones and two retractable cup holders. These cup holders also have built-in limit devices, taking into account both design and practicality.

Many physical buttons have been removed, resulting in a more minimalist visual appearance.

Of course, the essential physical buttons are still retained. "Mr. Xu, all four seats are made of Napa leather. Some car companies only use Napa leather on the seat cushions or backrests and then claim that the whole car is made of Napa. I think we can make that a separate label for it."

Wang Jun, who was in charge of seat development, chuckled and said.

Another major highlight of this interior design is the seat design.

Not only was it developed entirely in-house, but Xu Yi also pointed out many flaws along the way. Looking around, each of the four front seats has a row of electric controls on its right side, including fore-and-aft movement, backrest adjustment, height adjustment, and fore-and-aft lumbar support!

This is absolutely astonishing in the current automotive industry.

It's worth noting that many cars in the industry costing 200,000 to 300,000 yuan don't even offer seat ventilation options, and their electric adjustment only has three functions.

But on the side of the stars.

It's like you don't want money.

Not only does it have adjustable lumbar support, but it also features seat ventilation, heating, and massage functions.

This configuration is so appealing that it's inexplicably satisfying just by looking at it!
"The rear seats all have leg rests and a one-touch reclining function. You can call the Star Voice assistant to turn on the 21-inch rear TV. Our refrigerator also uses a compressor system, which can reach a minimum temperature of -15 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 50 degrees Celsius, with extremely fast cooling and heating efficiency."

Whether it's iced cola or warm milk for the child, it's a great experience.

I actually saw the cockpit last time.

And this time.

The functions are clearly all tuned and adjusted.

Instead of using a cheap semiconductor solution, a compressor solution was adopted.

It's worth noting that a semiconductor refrigerator solution costs only a few hundred yuan, while a common vehicle compressor refrigerator solution costs over two thousand yuan.

However, Xingchen has accumulated expertise in the compressor field.

When the old man's car was selling well, they had already acquired a compressor production line. Later, they simply acquired the entire compressor factory and relocated it to the vicinity of the factory area.

They are now using a small compressor that they developed and produced themselves. Through cost optimization, the cost of this compressor solution has been reduced to just over a thousand yuan.

The benefits include lower temperatures and higher time and energy efficiency.

The cooling of the small compressor is also integrated into the eight-way valve circuit, achieving efficient control of the vehicle's thermal management.

"I've thoroughly tested the cockpit, and both the overall comfort and the user-friendly design have met the standards after multiple rounds of refinement. You've done a great job in this regard. Have you tested the 0-100 km/h acceleration?"

Xu Yi nodded; the cockpit design and seat comfort were things he valued highly.

This thing requires technology.

But unlike conventional technologies, such as "chassis tuning," it relies on experience and details.

Regarding 0-100 km/h acceleration.

His last requirement was that it could be done within 6 seconds.

Thanks to its dual-motor four-wheel drive design, the vehicle boasts a powerful, high-powered engine.

However, the car is quite heavy, and it still uses lithium iron phosphate batteries. We don't know exactly how many seconds they optimized it to.

"The vehicle's calibrated 0-100 km/h acceleration time is 4.96 seconds after deducting the start time. If the start time is not deducted, it is about 5.1 seconds."

The vehicle's top speed is 200 km/h. The range extender will automatically activate when the speed reaches 130 km/h or above, or when the battery level drops below 20%. There is also an option to force the vehicle to use electric power.

Sun Pengfei honestly removed the starting time.

"Our front motor is equipped with a 200kW V6 motor, and the rear motor is equipped with a 240kW V6S motor, with a total power of 440kW, a maximum torque of 840N·m, and a maximum horsepower of 590hp."

The Xingchen L7 uses a front induction asynchronous motor and a rear permanent magnet synchronous motor design, which is also a mature pure electric four-wheel drive solution.

Permanent magnet synchronous motors are more energy efficient at low speeds, while induction asynchronous motors are more efficient at high speeds. When a vehicle starts, the center of gravity shifts to the rear, which allows the permanent magnet synchronous motor on the rear axle to respond quickly and output powerful force.

During vehicle dynamic driving, the asynchronous motor on the front axle gradually applies power, forming a perfect relay effect with the former.

Only by combining the two can energy efficiency be perfected.

"Our chassis tuning prioritizes comfort, as this car is geared towards family luxury. However, safety is also guaranteed, with a maximum speed of 74.2 km/h in the moose test."

We used a lot of aluminum alloy parts in the chassis of this car, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an all-aluminum alloy chassis. It also has dynamic CDC damping adjustment, plus the support of air suspension, making the starting foundation much stronger than the previous car, and also giving us a lot more room to explore.

Therefore, we have set three preset acceleration levels: 9.9 seconds, 7.8 seconds, and 4.9 seconds. The chassis stiffness is also adjustable in three levels, allowing drivers to customize the ride. The overall feel is very comfortable and harmonious; regardless of the setting, there is no excessive understeer or brake dive.

He continued.

The MacPherson strut chassis of the Star S7 doesn't offer much room for maneuver, but this time it features a double wishbone front suspension and a five-link rear suspension, along with CDC adjustable damping and air suspension, which significantly raises the overall adjustment limit of the vehicle!
But this also brought unprecedented difficulties.

The chassis team led by Chengli had tens of thousands of kilometers of data from the early test vehicles, but when they put it in, it was like filling a tooth gap; they only managed to build a complete adjustment frame.

With the current hardware, the tuning hasn't reached its limit yet!

"The chassis data is still being updated, and we can adjust it via OTA later, which will probably take it to another level."

Additionally, we've been communicating with the intelligent driving department to use a front camera to preview the ground. When bumps or potholes are detected, the air suspension and damping automatically adjust to appropriate stiffness parameters to handle them, significantly reducing bumps and improving comfort.

Cheng Li scratched his head. It was impossible not to have a headache. The amount of data and work required for chassis tuning was enormous. The team had expanded several times and they had been working tirelessly on it.

Fortunately, this car can be OTA updated!

There is still room for improvement in the chassis design.

The more data they accumulate, the stronger they become.

Until this hardware is fully developed to its limit.

Xu Yi was stunned.

What the hell?
You guys actually put the magic carpet suspension into practice??

(End of this chapter)