On May 18, 2021, the "2021 Midea Welling Auto Parts Three Product Lines Production and Product Launch Conference" with the theme of "Momentum in the Peer, Controlling the Future" was held in Hefei, Anhui Province. In the face of the car-making feast in full swing, Midea has realized the independent research and development and mass production of core components, which is a milestone for Midea to fully enter the field of new energy vehicles and for China's new energy vehicle industry to achieve corner overtaking.
Local government departments, industry associations, automotive industry chains, and news media attended the event to witness this milestone event. At the meeting, Midea Welling Auto Parts officially announced that its three product lines of drive system, thermal management system and assisted/autonomous driving system were put into production, and officially released five auto parts products of three product lines, including motor drive, thermal management system and assisted/automatic driving system: drive motor, electronic water pump, electronic oil pump, electric compressor and EPS motor.
Product uniqueness and forward-looking are the keys to maintaining the core competitiveness of Midea Welling Auto Parts. Fu Yongjun, President of Midea's Electromechanical Business Group, introduced that Welling entered the research and development of EPS steering motors 10 years ago; Five years ago, the research and development of automotive electric air conditioning compressors began; Three years ago today (May 18, 2018), Midea Welling Auto Parts Products Company was officially established. It follows the development concept of "listing generation, reserve generation, and research generation", and promotes the continuous advancement, expansion and extension of 3 systems and 5 types of products with more than 6,000 patents. These technological achievements can be said to be the confidence of Midea Welling Auto Parts to empower the new energy vehicle industry with science and technology.
The first in the automotive industry: CO2 rotor electric compressor solves the problem of low-temperature heating
According to the on-site new energy vehicle experts, the products released by Midea Welling Auto Parts are at the leading level in the industry, which not only meet the needs of the automotive industry for safety, comfort and energy saving, but also have precision, innovation and breakthrough. Among them, the electric compressor has the achievement of breaking the technical shackles of the industry.
The thermal management system of new energy has undergone earth-shaking changes, from the traditional refrigeration of the passenger compartment to the refrigeration and heating of the passenger compartment and batteries, and the adjustment of large-scale cooling and heating capacity is a topic that needs to be solved urgently in thermal management。 Chen Jintao, general manager of Welling Auto Parts Company, introduced that Welling has invested a total of 100 million US dollars, and after ten years of tempering, it has today's product competitiveness and officially put into production. The first product launched this time is the R134a scroll electric compressor, with a speed of 12,000 rpm, NVH far better than similar competing products, and supports triangular cycle heating, even in the case of minus 30 degrees, it can still effectively heat up. But Willing was not satisfied and continued to develop more environmentally friendly compressors.
To this end, Midea made a breakthrough invention of the rotor electric compressor, which innovatively uses natural refrigerant CO2, which not only has the technical characteristics of high efficiency, low noise and light weight, but also meets the needs of efficient refrigeration and low temperature heating, even in the low temperature environment of -35 °C, the heating capacity is still strong, and users in extremely cold areas no longer need to "cover the quilt" to drive, which solves the problem of fast endurance attenuation under extremely cold conditions, and increases the mileage by 20% compared with traditional heat pumps.
The electric compressor has 220 domestic invention patents and 14 international patents, and has completely independent intellectual property rights. More importantly, the CO2 environmentally friendly refrigerant used in this product mainly comes from the purification of industrial waste gas, which not only contributes to the national strategy of "carbon neutrality", but also wins the favor of European and other markets, showing the original intention of Midea Technology to create a better life for mankind.
Led by academicians: the main drive motor has passed the vehicle measurement verification and mass production
As the "engine" of new energy vehicles, Midea's electromechanical business group is driven by R&D, and has completed a number of patent applications, including 29 core invention patents for the design of the main drive system, and has obtained a number of patent authorizations. In the face of the current high-speed, high-power density, and high-efficiency motor design characteristics, the technical advantages of Welling's main drive motor include: the torque density is increased by 4% compared with the industry's high-end vehicles; The high-efficiency interval (efficiency > 85% area) is 2% higher than the industry level; The torque ripple in the full speed range (the key technical indicator affecting the noise of the motor) is 3%+ lower than the industry level.
In short, the main drive motor has the advantages of higher efficiency, smaller size and low noise than the industry level. At present, it has completed the technical verification and prototype test of the electromagnetic, cooling and structural design of the drive motor on five technology platforms and multiple power segments, and some products have passed the vehicle measurement verification and mass production, and the technology platform can fully cover the current passenger car market demand. It is reported that the projects that have passed the vehicle test and the mass production project show that the reliability and life design indicators of Welling main drive motor are higher than customer requirements.
At present, Midea Welling Auto Parts has laid out R&D centers and cooperative institutions in Shanghai, Hefei, Anhui, Shunde, Guangdong, Osaka, Japan and the University of Sheffield, and has brought together an international cutting-edge intelligent R&D team led by Zhu Ziqiang, an academician of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and Dr. Chen Jintao. The R&D team includes a basic technology R&D team of 280 people and a R&D team of 150 auto parts, with master's and doctoral degrees accounting for more than 80%, which effectively ensures the continuous promotion of product R&D, technological innovation and energy efficiency upgrading. Following the development concept of "development generation, reserve generation, and research generation", based on cross-platform/power segment R&D technology, we can quickly complete the diversified development needs of customers. More importantly, Midea Electromechanical Business Group has established a R&D and testing center that has been certified by national laboratories and UL CTDP, equipped with more than 130 sets of noise/vibration/performance testing equipment worth more than 200 million yuan, and has established a complete R&D-test-R&D iteration system.
Breaking technical barriers: realizing the localization of key components
From the current suppliers of the three-electric system of the whole vehicle, it can be found that the electronic control and motor are from the world's well-known auto parts, not local suppliers. The lack of competitiveness of local component suppliers and the relative scarcity of high-quality component suppliers are the unspeakable "stuck neck" pain of domestic automobile companies, especially new energy vehicle companies.
Among them, the EPS motor is a key component of intelligent/assisted driving, and there are problems in the product development process, such as frustration, noise and vibration, and medium and high-speed undervoltage torque output. Midea's electromechanical business group went deep into the basic research of the underlying technology, and finally found the key problems and successfully solved them, breaking the monopoly of foreign technology and successfully realizing the localization of key components.
In the past 30 years, Midea Electromechanical Business Group has accumulated abundant resources and experience in the process of product research and development, intelligent manufacturing, industrial chain integration and channel development, especially the underlying mechanical and electrical technology, intelligent manufacturing technology, and market-oriented operation mechanism, and now has the ability to replicate and export to other businesses in the industry boundary. As Fang Hongbo, chairman and president of Midea Group, said: "After the Internet, the boundaries of enterprises will expand indefinitely. In the future, it will be the underlying technical capabilities and the ability to reach customers that will define the boundaries of an enterprise. ”
Intelligent manufacturing: The strength of digital intelligence supports high-quality automotive parts
At the same time as the release of five products, Midea Welling Auto Parts also officially launched the full production of three major product lines at the Hefei plant in Anhui Province. Midea Welling Auto Parts adopts digitalization and intelligence to build a production workshop, establishes an intelligent production system with full visual information management, and forms a lean manufacturing model with high quality, high efficiency, high stability and short delivery time for product production. The three production lines have a high degree of automation, which not only ensures the quality, but also ensures the production efficiency, and can quickly respond to various changes in market demand. At the same time, Midea combines the quality management system with the reliability requirements of the automotive industry to continue to provide high-quality products and services for the market.
In addition, relying on Midea's huge supply chain management system, China's largest motor bulk raw material buyer, with an annual purchase volume of 10 million drive motors, provides customers with more stable, safe and cost-effective auto parts products.
With a forward-looking strategic vision, Midea actively seeks breakthrough technologies and disruptive product opportunities to tap customer value and market value. In the next stage, Welling Auto Parts will rely on the underlying technology of the electromechanical business group to accelerate the enrichment of the product line, help the development of the industry, and continue to increase R&D investment, continue to make breakthroughs in technology, and bring better solutions to the market. After new energy vehicles have gradually become an important platform for people's travel and life, Midea has shown a broader blueprint for creating a better life for mankind by holding key areas such as smart home, electromechanical business, robotics and automation, HVAC and buildings, and innovative business.