Chery Fulwin A8L – world’s longest ranged PHEV launches
There is another new champion for the Guinness World Record holder of the longest-ranged PHEV. At the launch of the Chery Fulwin A8L on December 17, it was announced that the car had achieved a range of 2369.915 km on a full charge and with a full tank of fuel.
- 广告
The announcement came two months after the SAIC Roewe brand claimed the title with its D7 DMH. It highlights the push since BYD launched its DM 5.0 technology for the larger car producers in China to create PHEV models with ever-increasing ranges.
There are 5 versions of the Fulwin A8L in the range, and it is priced between 109,900 yuan (15,100 USD) and 149,900 yuan (20,600 USD). A limited-time promotion sees these prices reduced by 10,000 yuan (1350 USD) for each version. The cars are as follows:
- 广告
| 70 km Standard Edition | 109,900 yuan (15,100 USD) |
| 70 km Comfort Edition | 119,900 yuan (16,500 USD) |
| 145 km Standard Edition | 129,900 yuan (17,850 USD) |
| 145 km Comfort Edition | 139,900 yuan (19,200 USD) |
| 145 km Luxury Edition | 149,900 yuan (20,600 USD) |
It is, in fact, the third Chery Fulwin A8 model to be launched this year. The car has its origins in the Chery Arrizo 8 which went on sale in 2022 as an ICE. A PHEV version launched as the Chery Fulwin A8 at the beginning of 2024. Then in April, the Voyage Edition, which was previously known as the A8 Pro, launched. The car tried to achieve a range of 2000 km but, in a test, fell slightly short. With the A8L, it seems that Chery has finally managed to achieve what they wanted.
The new Fulwin A8L looks more like the original A8 than the Voyage Edition, which had an enclosed front. The dimensions are, however, slightly different, with the car growing in length by ten millimeters, with dimensions of 4790, 1843, and 1487 m, and a wheelbase of 2790 mm.
At the front, the Chery Fulwin A8L has a polygonal grille with a honeycomb pattern, which also plays host to the license plate and the Chery logo. To the sides are air intakes. The side of the car appears to be largely unchanged, while at the back, the light cluster has a new design. This also has Fulwin written on it rather than the Chery as on the A8. The lower part of the rear has a much simpler design than with previous versions of the A8.
- 广告
Chery now refers to its C-DM hybrid system as C-DM 5.0. There appear to be two different versions of the system, one based on a naturally aspirated 1.5 engine and the other on a turbocharged version.
The two cheapest versions of the Chery Fulwin A8L use the 1.5 liter engine, which has a maximum power of 75 kW and peak torque of 125 Nm. In addition, there is a front-mounted 150 KW electric motor, which delivers a peak torque of 310 Nm. This gives the system a combined power of 225 kW and torque of 435 Nm.
These versions of the A8L have a smaller battery of 9.53 kWh. This gives the car a CLTC all-electric range of up to 70 km.
It seems that the Guinness World Record was obtained using the more powerful 1.5T based version of the CDM 5.0 powertrain. This has a maximum power of 115 kW and peak torque of 220 Nm. The system uses the same electric motor as the naturally aspirated 1.5 engine, meaning that the combined power of the system is 265 kW and a peak torque of 530 Nm.
Interestingly, Chery put up a slide at the launch comparing the Fulwin A8L with an Audi 7L, which is obviously a significantly larger and more expensive car. Compared to the 3.0T V6, the Chery Fulwin A8L has greater power and torque. Surprisingly, the top speed at 205 km/h is actually not that far off the Audi, which is 208 km/h. Currently, there is no official acceleration time available, although a 0-50 km/h time of 3.4 seconds is quoted. Furthermore, the car can drive at 180 km/h for one hour without stalling, a common problem with PHEV and EREV cars
Versions with the 1.5 T-based powertrain also get a larger 18.67 kWh battery pack. This gives the car a significantly longer CLTC all-electric range of 145 km, and the combined range is claimed to be more than 2100 km. WLTC fuel consumption is quoted as 4.2 L/100 KM. This version supports fast charging, which can replenish from 30%-80% SoC in 19 minutes.
Although much of the interior remains the same as previous versions of the Chery Fulwin A8 there is somewhat of a revamp when it comes to instrumentation and controls. Previous versions had a combined dual-screen design, whereas the A8L has a floating 15.6-inch infotainment screen and a separate 10.25-inch LCD instrument panel. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip controls the car’s systems.
The drive selector has also shifted from its previous location on the center console to a steering column-mounted stalk. While the basic shape of the steering wheel has not changed it looks as if the controls on it may have changed slightly. Furthermore, It now has a Chery logo on the wheel.
Creature comforts include electric seat adjustment, heating and ventilation, Bluetooth key entry, 50W wireless mobile phone charging, A 540-degree transparent chassis view, ten airbags, and an optional 8-speaker Sony sound system. It also has L2+ assisted driving system with functions like traffic light countdown.
Full details of the Guinness record do not seem to be available; furthermore, on the Hainan Island Challenge, the car managed an average mileage of 2,291.72 km, which is equivalent to a fuel consumption figure of 2.66 L/100km.
