Toyota is planning to launch a new car in China, with intelligent driving capabilities close to Huawei's, and fuel consumption approximately 30% lower than the same-level Ideal L6. The earliest launch time is October. This planned new car may be the Toyota Crown Signia, which is already on sale overseas. However, one expected difference from the overseas model is that it may adopt a ternary lithium battery pack for plug-in hybrid power, and the pure electric range is expected to reach 90km (WLTC conditions), with a combined range of around 1200km.

Another product point should be discussed in conjunction with GAC Toyota's intelligent driving system implemented in China. The overseas model does not come equipped with excessive intelligent driving configurations, but the version launched in China will likely be paired with Momenta's intelligent driving function and Huawei's cabin system. The capabilities in terms of intelligence almost match those of mainstream products (intelligent driving and cabins) in the current domestic market.

So, how do the car's three-electricity and intelligent technologies perform?

Is fuel consumption within 5L advantageous?

The new car's dimensions are 4930/1880/1620mm, with a wheelbase of 2850mm, corresponding to the size of a mid-to-large SUV. It will directly compete with mainstream products currently on the market, including Ideal L6, WENJIE M5, and others. Most of the directly competing models are extended-range vehicles, so the only hardware aspect that needs to be focused on is its fuel consumption performance.

What is the technical logic of this plug-in hybrid system?

The powertrain includes a 2.5L naturally aspirated engine, as well as a ternary lithium battery pack and electric motor. Considering the pure electric range, the WLTC condition pure electric range is 90km (approximately 104km under CLTC conditions), so the possibility of using a lithium iron phosphate battery is extremely low. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are not advantageous in terms of power density, and their charging and discharging performance is also not good. Therefore, the specification of this ternary lithium battery may be within 20kWh, which is not large compared to the 20kWh, 30kWh, or larger battery packs currently used in domestic brand plug-in hybrids and extended-range vehicles.

There are many reasons why this power system did not use larger battery packs such as 30kWh or 40kWh. Cost, weight, structural design, and other factors all influence the integration of large battery packs into vehicles. However, currently, the emergence of large-displacement engines and structural design considerations are the most direct factors in reducing battery pack usage.

This 2.5L plug-in hybrid system is similar to the previously announced plug-in hybrid version of the Crown Sport model, both featuring a 2.5L engine and battery-powered system with similar range. Without significant increases or decreases in range, it can be basically determined that the battery usage and motor system are replicated without significant parameter adjustments.

The reason for the small battery can then be determined: the influence of structural design makes using a small battery pack the most effective for this vehicle. Due to the need to ensure interior space, the battery pack placed under the central floor of the vehicle cannot be made too thick (affecting vertical space), but increasing the lateral size may affect the vehicle's handling. Therefore, a small battery pack with a capacity of 20kWh or less may be chosen (Toyota has indeed stated that the small battery route is one of its development directions).

Pairing this with a 55L capacity fuel tank brings the car's combined range to around 1206km. Its fuel consumption will be around 4.9L/100km. Objectively speaking, if the final fuel consumption level is indeed this, it will be approximately 2.4L lower than the Ideal L6 of the same class.

Will the fuel consumption performance at high speeds be good?

The design of the small battery pack may give this car good fuel consumption performance during high-speed cruising. Although the pure electric range is short, the advantage is that it is significantly lighter compared to large battery pack designs. This will bring some advantages under high-speed cruising conditions.

However, it feels that the fuel consumption reduction under high-speed cruising conditions will not be particularly significant. After all, the car's motor power is not small, and its positioning is not an economy-oriented product. At least currently, the car's power system can ensure a fuel consumption level of around 5L under daily commuting conditions.

What level of intelligence will it achieve?

The advantages brought by the hardware level are reflected in energy consumption, optimizing fuel consumption by approximately 32% compared to extended-range vehicles. If this car is launched in the Chinese market, only having an advantage in fuel consumption is not sufficient support. It also needs to improve in terms of intelligence to meet the current consumer's usage needs.

The specific improvement plan should be the same as Platinum AI 3X, using Momenta and Huawei's intelligent solutions.

Momenta and Huawei's supply relationship with Toyota is that the former provides software algorithms, while the latter provides perception equipment such as lidar. The chip usage of the entire system, based on Momenta's current solution, is a single NVIDIA Orin-X chip solution with a computing power of 254TOPS, and there is no dual-chip solution. The lidar model is also Huawei's 126-line lidar, rather than the previously speculated 192-line product. In this way, the intelligent driving configuration of this system, whether it is software, chips, or perception hardware, is very similar to some domestic models.

What functions can be achieved in practical use?

Momenta's intelligent driving capabilities include urban and highway NOA. The specific usage of the latter will not be elaborated here, but the specific functions such as lane merging and overtaking, automatic entry and exit ramps, and following the lead vehicle have already reached a usable level. The main focus should be on urban NOA.

Let's look at a few detailed examples to see if this system is usable enough. In narrow single-lane driving conditions, when encountering parked vehicles on the roadside, it can achieve detour passage; unprotected left turns can be completed smoothly; normal driving on unmarked roads follows the predetermined route; right turns with barriers intruding into the driving trajectory can be detoured.

All the above functions are completed normally, but after testing, the feeling is still a relatively conservative strategy, giving way first and then executing operations only when there is suitable space for driving. Personally, the overall style still tends to be more conservative, but the functions are usable. The examples given are more extreme driving conditions compared to well-marked and rationally planned urban roads. Currently, the combination of this hardware and software works well, and the 254TOPS computing power chip is fully adequate.

In fact, the Mpilot intelligent driving function provided by Momenta (Toyota will also adjust the software strategy for model matching) has an end-to-end large model, meaning that after accumulating sufficient mileage, it has learning capabilities. This means that future version iterations can possess better driving strategies.

For example, under normal driving conditions, when a vehicle in an adjacent lane wants to merge into the driving route, it can accelerate to pass the merging vehicle rather than decelerate and yield when a vehicle joins. Relatively speaking, the first operation is more in line with the driving habits of most drivers, while the second operation of decelerating and waiting for the front vehicle to merge before following is somewhat inconsistent with normal driving logic. Through the learning and iteration of the large model, it may switch back to a better driving strategy.

Does this driving function match Huawei's?

It depends on which Huawei system is used for comparison. If it is the ADS 2.0 intelligent driving solution, the two perform similarly, but Huawei's solution does have better control over details, especially in the refinement of highway and urban NOA (so far). Moreover, Huawei is about to iterate the ADS 3.0 system this year, which may give it an even greater advantage.

Relatively speaking, Momenta's intelligent driving level is close to that of Huawei's ADS 2.0 in terms of functionality, but the refinement of details may not be as good. Objectively speaking, perhaps the intelligent driving system on the Toyota Crown Signia only offers about 90% of the experience compared to Huawei's.

Author: Lucar Auto