Electrification Good Test for Car Manufacturers

The European new car market is experiencing rapid electrification, and this change is creating various challenges for manufacturers Many years of experience in the construction of internal combustion engines and platforms adapted to them do not help much, because the new type of cars has to be built from scratch.

How is the industry coping and who is doing better? New entrants on the same starting line New brands appear on the market very rarely Creating a car, let alone mass-producing it, requires enormous resources and experience, which is an almost insurmountable obstacle for new companies.

internal combustion engines are extremely complex engineering structures that must comply with strict ecological norms, so for several decades only long-term and experienced manufacturers existed on the market The electric age has opened the door to new brands and tests old ones.

New companies are appearing on the horizon, aiming to become mass producers Especially many such companies come from China, and they are trying hard to break into the European market.

"On paper, Chinese electric cars don't look so bad, but none of them have convinced me yet I am especially cautious in this regard after the long-term tests carried out by the Western media.

They reveal that Chinese products will suffer from the disease of early Japanese and Korean cars in our latitudes - body rust, which will appear after the first winter How such a car will last the entire warranty period and how dealers will be able to provide it is a good question.

It is easier to build an electric motor and battery in a car than to build a good, reliable and emission-compliant internal combustion engine But the drive is only one of the components of the machine, it is also important that how does the car drive In this aspect, it is difficult to beat the experienced manufacturers who over the years have polished various components so that the car drives well," says Raimonds Zandovskis, editor of "Delfi Auto".

must be built from scratch The first attempts by manufacturers were often based on the good old basics - internal combustion engine platforms were used.

Now that electrification is accelerating, most manufacturers have invested heavily in special electric car platforms The electric motor is small, so it is usually mounted on the towing vehicle.

axle, but the large battery is placed between the two axles The low center of gravity adds stability and better handling.

Also, concentrating these components at the bottom makes better use of machine space Thanks to this, an electric car such as the Kia EV6 has a flat floor in the cabin.

However, that is not all Electric cars have many nuances that are essential in daily operation, such as battery capacity, charging speed, system efficiency.

Which brands are doing best? The nuances of electrification are new to all manufacturers How are they doing with this tough nut? "In my opinion, Tesla can be called the most successful, because they simply had no heritage or experience with internal combustion engines, so they started building their cars from a blank page," says Guntars Puls, editor-in-chief of "Profi Latvija".

The old car manufacturers tried to incorporate electric motors and batteries into bodies adapted to internal combustion engines, but the Americans created platforms specifically for electric drive As a result, Tesla has been the undisputed leader in this segment for some time.

But times are changing, and the old manufacturers, investing heavily in research and development, are starting to catch up with the industry pioneers and in some areas even overtake them One example is the "Kia EV6", which achieved significant success immediately after rolling out of the factory.

It was awarded several important titles: "European Car of the Year 2022", "Best Electric Car 2022" in the United States, as well as "Car of the Year" and "Electric Car of the Year" in many other countries The trump cards of the "EV6" are the "E-GMP" platform and an 800-volt electrical system.

Offered only by "Porsche" and the Koreans, the 400-volt system has become the standard of the modern electric car market, while "Porsche" was the first to introduce the 800 V system – in the sporty "Taycan" It offers tremendous charging speed and delivers more power to the wheels without the risk of overheating the system.

"From a consumer point of view, the main advantage of the 800 V architecture is fast charging This means that some electric cars can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes.

This is also usually associated with significant mileage and power, which is reflected in a wild run For internal combustion engines it's hard to compete with the instantaneous torque that electric cars have, so to speak, already in the cradle," explains Guntars Puls.

A modern electric car can be charged with 100-150 kW - this is characteristic of the most popular "Volkswagen" models built on the "MEB" platform, as well as cars of "Peugeot", "Nissan" and other brands However, if you want to cover a longer distance with an electric car and enjoy really fast charging, you will have to look in the direction of the "premium" class.

For example, on "Porsche", which costs a six-figure sum Or to the "Kia EV6", which is twice as cheap.

Good features - not only on paper Today, the Koreans are the only ones who offer an 800 V system at an affordable price "EV6" with a 77.

4 kWh battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent at the fast station in just 18 minutes, and can travel up to 528 km on a single charge In addition, this car has quite impressive dynamics - 325 hp allows you to reach 100 km/h in 5.

2 seconds However, competitive figures on the technical data sheets are not enough to win the "Car of the Year" titles.

"Technical data is important, but I pay more attention to how the car drives In my opinion, the EV6 is really well balanced.

It is dynamic and excellent to drive It is interesting that it can turn off most safety assistants and, for example, drive around a closed area in a fun manner with rear-wheel drive.

Every day, "Kia" pleases with comfort, silence, high-quality interior and many technologies There are also many different practical solutions here, as even "Simply Clever" "Enyaq" is forced to give way.

The only drawback is that there could have been more space above the head," Raimonds Zandovskis describes "EV6" He also adds that the electric era is changing the positions of brands.

The difference between average and "premium" class cars is decreasing, because with the onset of a new era, all manufacturers are positioned on the same starting line that it can turn off most safety assistants and, for example, drive around a closed area in a fun manner with rear-wheel drive.

The only drawback is that there could have been more space above the head," Raimonds Zandovskis describes "EV6" He also adds that the electric era is changing the positions of brands.

The difference between average and "premium" class cars is decreasing, because with the onset of a new era, all manufacturers are positioned on the same starting line silence, high-quality interior and many technologies.

There are also many different practical solutions here, as even "Simply Clever" "Enyaq" is forced to give way The only drawback is that there could have been more space above the head," Raimonds Zandovskis describes "EV6".

He also adds that the electric era is changing the positions of brands The difference between average and "premium" class cars is decreasing, because with the onset of a new era, all manufacturers are positioned on the same starting line.

silence, high-quality interior and many technologies There are also many different practical solutions here, as even "Simply Clever" "Enyaq" is forced to give way.

The only drawback is that there could have been more space above the head," Raimonds Zandovskis describes "EV6" He also adds that the electric era is changing the positions of brands.

The difference between average and "premium" class cars is decreasing, because with the onset of a new era, all manufacturers are positioned on the same starting line .