How to evaluate the debut of Ideal MEGA at the Guangzhou Auto Show?

Ideal MEGA: Breaking the record for drag coefficient with flawless body design.

Part1. [Background]

1. Just now, Ideal officially announced that the drag coefficient of Ideal MEGA 0.215 has broken the record for mass-produced MPVs and has become the MPV with the lowest drag coefficient in the world.

2. In addition, the official announced that the new car consumes 15.9kwh/100km of electricity according to the CLTC test cycle.

3. The extremely low drag coefficient of Ideal MEGA is mainly achieved through five design elements, including the teardrop-shaped front, teardrop-shaped roof design, inward-retracting boat tail design, rear wind blade design, and flawless body design. #IdealMEGA#

Part2. [Hindsight view]

1. Guessed that it would be the first MPV.

2. Ideal’s first pure electric product, it’s not easy to have the firsts, how can Chairman Li continue to be prominent in the automotive industry without the firsts.

3. Yes, what I said are several firsts, even if there are a few attributive phrases in front, it’s definitely not just the drag coefficient, let’s wait and see.

4. But I didn’t expect it to be 0.215, it’s a bit too low, beyond my understanding of MPVs.

5. According to the official, the main contributions come from the teardrop-shaped front, teardrop-shaped roof design, inward-retracting boat tail design, rear wind blade design, and flawless body design.

6. The teardrop-shaped front and body should have made a significant contribution, with curves from the front lip to the roof that are always smooth and streamlined.

7. Look at the top of the front seats, where the curve bends smoothly downward.

8. I don’t know if this teardrop design will have any other negative effects, and how MEGA has solved them.

9. The inward-retracting boat tail should have also made a significant contribution. Looking at the smoke flow effect diagram, the turbulence at the rear is relatively good.

Part3. [Flawless Body]

1. The flawless body design, which is at the bottom of the contribution to the drag coefficient, is actually what I personally anticipate the most.

2. It tests the inherent design of the structure, tests the precision of components, tests the precision of the body, tests the precision of assembly, and tests the degradation of performance.

3. If the flawless body design is really well done, it won’t just be about drag, it will be a big step forward for Ideal in car manufacturing.

4. Be very optimistic and have the most rational expectations.

5. There is no silver bullet in car manufacturing.

The Coefficient of Drag Does Not Affect Car Purchase Decision

When evaluating new energy vehicles, from battery capacity, endurance, charging replenishment, to autonomous driving, will the coefficient of drag be considered as one of the evaluation criteria in the future?

In September of this year, the BYD Tang U6 achieved a coefficient of drag as low as 0.195 Cd! At the 2023 Annual Conference of the Automotive Aerodynamics Branch of the China Society of Automotive Engineers, the BYD Tang U6 was awarded the “2023 Annual Advanced Automotive Aerodynamics Technology Model”. The Tang U6 is positioned as a coupe, with a streamlined and harmonious design that minimizes air resistance.

Two months later, the ideal car MEGA, as an MPV model, announced a coefficient of drag as low as 0.215, being hailed as the MPV with the lowest drag coefficient in history.

The range of electric cars (pure electric vehicles) is greatly affected by drag. Apart from battery capacity, the maximum factor that affects normal driving range is most intuitively reflected in drag data. When a car is traveling at 80 kilometers per hour, 60% of the fuel/electricity consumption is used to overcome drag; at speeds above 200 kilometers per hour, aerodynamic resistance accounts for almost 85% of the total driving resistance.

Common coefficients of drag:

Coefficient of drag for a flat plane object is approximately 1.0, for a sphere it is approximately 0.5 - these two are a good comparison.

Drag coefficient for a regular car is between 0.28-0.4.

Drag coefficient for a regular sports car is below 0.3.

Drag coefficient for a racing car is generally below 0.35, which I don’t quite understand as it is higher than that of a sports car.

Drag coefficient for a bird is between 0.1-0.2.

Drag coefficient for an aircraft can reach 0.08.

Currently, raindrops have the smallest drag coefficient, at around 0.05, this has long been known.

It can be seen that objects with stronger streamline designs have smaller drag coefficients.

When a vehicle is moving forward, the resistance it faces comes mainly from the front. The drag coefficient of a car is fixed, and the resistance the vehicle encounters at various speeds can be calculated based on the drag coefficient.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS, which is valued at millions of yuan, has a drag coefficient of 0.200 Cd. The NIO ET7 and Tesla Model S Plaid have a drag coefficient of 0.208 Cd. The difference is only up to the third decimal place, which should not be noticeable during actual driving.

So, do we need to consider drag when buying a car? I believe not.

When buying a car, what matters more is the cost-effectiveness, whether I have enough money in my pocket, the range and comfort of the car, and the level of equipment. As for the drag coefficient, who among my family members understands that?

Shouldn’t these technical-level data be the direction of research for car companies? I don’t care if your drag coefficient is 0 point something, or how long the range is, or how many hours it takes to charge?

In addition, the ideal car MEGA is a giant, with a length of 5.35 meters, a wheelbase of 3.3 meters, a height of 1.85 meters, and a width of 1.96 meters without the side mirrors. Parking is also an issue. It claims to have “second-row space surpassing the 7 Series, and third-row space surpassing the 5 Series”, it is the world’s first family pure electric MPV that cannot enter parallel parking spaces, and the world’s first MPV where children can run around freely inside, haha.

As for the ideal car, there is no reason not to buy it, and if I have to give a reason, I would say it’s because I don’t have holidays or a second child.

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(The images in the article are sourced from the internet, and will be deleted if infringing upon rights.)

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The drag coefficient is not important for cruising range

No, when I buy a car, the drag coefficient is not a factor I consider.

If we talk about considering the drag coefficient, then SUVs should not be sold at all. Have you ever seen an SUV that focuses on having the lowest drag coefficient? Take the Mercedes-Benz G-Class shown in the image below, for example. What is its drag coefficient? 0.54, which is more than double the ideal MEGA. SUVs do not have low drag coefficients. The Tesla Model Y has a drag coefficient of 0.23, but I don’t consider this car to be an SUV. Its front end is like that of a sedan, while the body is made to be the height of an SUV, making it look particularly unattractive.

Image source: internet; delete if infringing

The purpose of having a low drag coefficient for electric vehicles is to save energy. Unlike fuel-powered vehicles, the efficiency of the engine in a fuel-powered vehicle is higher at higher speeds, leading to reduced fuel consumption. However, this is different for electric vehicles. The efficiency of their motors remains the same regardless of the vehicle’s speed, but as the speed of an electric vehicle increases, so does the drag. When the speed of an electric vehicle exceeds 80, half of the battery power is used to overcome the drag. If we can save as much of this battery power as possible, it will significantly increase the cruising range.

Especially now, electric vehicles are all about the cruising range. The battery power of electric vehicles is very precious, and manufacturers hope to use it primarily for the cruising range. Therefore, electric vehicles strive for low drag coefficients, in addition to regenerative braking.

The ideal MEGA is an MPV. Who would buy an MPV? Some of them are purchased by companies for customer reception purposes, and some are bought by families with two children who need a 7-seater car. However, these families can also choose a large 7-seater SUV. Therefore, most MPVs are sold to companies or consumers with business reception needs. Take a look at the sales group of the Buick GL8 to understand.

The ideal MEGA claims to have the lowest drag coefficient for an MPV, but it’s just a gimmick. Li Xiang, who started in the Internet industry, is very good at marketing, including his statements on Weibo, which are all for his own marketing purposes. The people who actually buy the MEGA don’t consider the drag coefficient at all. For them, comfort and suitability for business receptions are what matters most to consumers.

A car with a low drag coefficient only shows its advantages at high speeds, but no one can say how much electricity it saves or how much it increases the cruising range.

Does having a low drag coefficient eliminate range anxiety? Domestic car manufacturers in China are really good at marketing. If you are really sincere about addressing consumers' range concerns, you should use a silicon carbide (SIC) inverter, which is a real solution that addresses range anxiety at all times. Is the ideal MEGA equipped with an SIC inverter? We’ll have to wait for the release to find out.

Image source: internet; delete if infringing

The drag coefficient of the MEGA is 0.215, which is not low, but among MPVs, it is considered low. This is because the front face of MPVs is usually similar to SUVs, and the drag coefficient of SUVs is usually higher than that of sedans. Ideal took the front end of a sedan and applied it to the MPV, so some people find it quite ugly or out of place.

The MEGA consumes 15.9 Kwh per 100 kilometers, and it is difficult to judge whether this energy consumption is high or low because we still don’t know the weight of the MEGA. In terms of the numeric value alone, it is definitely not low because the recently launched Huawei Seres SF5, which weighs over 2 tons, consumes 12.4 Kwh. This is a truly low number.

Image source: internet; delete if infringing

Ideal seems to have understood what consumers want in a refrigerator, TV, and a large sofa, and has brought the concept of a movable home to the MPV. Of course, as long as consumers like it, it is a good product. As long as it has good sales performance, it is a winner. This is how the automotive industry works. Sales volume is king. No matter how well a car is made, if it can’t be sold, what’s the use? Conversely, even if a car is poorly made, but has extremely high sales, it is a success. It doesn’t matter whether it has advanced technology or not, as long as consumers recognize it as a good product.

Image source: internet; delete if infringing

Ordinary consumers do not need to consider the drag coefficient when buying an electric vehicle. How low can the drag coefficient really go? Consumers need to consider whether they can install a private charging station. If they can install one, even if the drag coefficient is as high as 0.5, they won’t have range anxiety. They can simply charge their car at home every night.

When ordinary consumers buy a car, they are buying happiness, something they like, value for money, and a car that genuinely takes their needs into consideration. If the ideal MEGA accomplishes these, then it is definitely worth buying. Who cares about the drag coefficient in that case.

“MPV’s Core Competence Lies in Its Appearance”

For household users (company users have different requirements), the core pain point of an MPV is not about fuel or electricity, nor is it about aerodynamic resistance.

The core pain point of an MPV is only one thing, its appearance.

The appearance of an MPV is just too ugly.

That’s why the Ideal One, the L789, and other similar models are selling well.

These cars are essentially MPVs disguised as SUVs.

And when it comes to a car in the 600,000 RMB price range, the most important thing is to make sure that the person driving the MPV doesn’t look like a driver.

From this perspective, the extreme design of the MEGA is its core competitiveness.

This is no longer science fiction; it’s fantasy.

Whether you like this design and feel like a superhero driving a high-speed train or think that the design of this thing has reached a new level of ugliness, it doesn’t matter.

The controversy over its appearance is 100% beneficial for this car, not a disadvantage.

At the very least, everyone can tell that the person driving this car is a wealthy person who values their family.

Even someone who is flashy and rich can drive this car.

Just getting rid of the label of being a driver is enough.

The effect of drag coefficient on the driving range

I don’t consider the drag coefficient when buying a car.

The drag coefficient is a mathematical parameter determined through wind tunnel experiments and coast-down tests. It can be used to calculate the air resistance of a car while it is in motion. The size of the drag coefficient depends on the car’s shape. The larger the drag coefficient, the greater the air resistance. Therefore, the drag coefficient is directly related to energy consumption at high speeds, which means it is directly related to driving range.

Currently, the replenishment speed of electric vehicles cannot be compared to that of fuel-powered vehicles, so we cannot avoid the issue of driving range. The drag coefficient indeed significantly affects the driving range of a car, especially during high-speed cruising for pure electric vehicles. On highways, the energy consumption of electric vehicles increases, and the experience with fast charging stations is generally average. High-speed driving happens to be the weakest scenario for pure electric vehicles.

Because the drag coefficient directly affects the ability of pure electric vehicles to transport people from point A to point B, people are concerned about it. However, there is a misconception here. In fact, new energy vehicle manufacturers initially did not pay much attention to comparing drag coefficients. It is only in recent years that new energy vehicle manufacturers began to compare drag coefficients when it comes to sedans or coupes.

Although it is promoted, the actual importance of the drag coefficient is not as significant.

The main use of electric vehicles is still primarily for city driving where the effect of drag is not significant. Between interior space and drag coefficient, new energy vehicle manufacturers almost always prioritize interior space, which is why they prioritize the development of SUVs, which have larger frontal areas. A larger drag coefficient does indeed affect the driving range. However, higher-priced electric vehicles can compensate for this loss of driving range by using larger capacity batteries, so it doesn’t really have much of an impact.

Of course, it would be ideal to lower the drag coefficient as much as possible. However, it is unknown how much impact this type of design has on interior space.