In recent years, in the process of self-owned brands hitting high-end, a configuration previously mainly used in luxury car brands such as Porsche, BBA, Volvo, etc. has frequently become a promotional point for independent high-end models. It is the air suspension system.

　　Take NIO, a new force in car-making, as an example. The three models that have been mass-produced are all equipped with air suspension systems. Among them, ES8 and EC6 are all equipped with ES6. Except for two low-end models, the rest of the equipment is also equipped. Air suspension system. In addition, the ET7, the first high-end electric sedan that NIO plans to mass-produce and deliver in 2022, will also be equipped with this system as standard.

　　NIO ET7; Image source: NIO

　　In addition, FAW-Hongqi H9, HS7 and E-HS9 medium and high-end models are equipped with air suspension systems; Dongfeng Motor’s high-end new energy vehicle brand Lantu released the first SUV Lantu FREE and Geely’s new hot models this year Model Krypton 001, mid-to-high models are also equipped with an air suspension system; Great Wall Motors released the first full-size pickup X gun at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, and also supports the optional "air suspension + electronic control" with a better driving quality. Shock absorber" system. According to industry insiders, the unlisted models being developed by brands such as Ideal, Xiaopeng, BYD, and Changan all involve air suspension configuration. For a while, the air suspension system seems to have become one of the high-end competition points of independent brands.

　　When many autonomous car companies are rushing to air suspension systems, it is necessary for us to understand what is air suspension? Compared with ordinary suspension, what is unique about the air suspension system? This high-end configuration, which was mostly carried by luxury brands before, will it further enter the car life of the general public in the future?

　　Air suspension that can significantly improve handling and comfort

　　Before understanding what an air suspension system is, let’s take a look at what a car suspension is. Automobile suspension is the general term for the force transmission device that connects the frame (or load-bearing body) and the axle (or wheel). It mainly plays the role of bearing, attenuating vibration and guiding, etc., in terms of vehicle handling, comfort and safety And other aspects play a vital role.

　　Automobile suspension is composed of elastic elements, guiding mechanism and shock absorber, and some structures also have buffer blocks, lateral stabilizers and so on. The elastic elements also come in the form of leaf springs, air springs, coil springs and torsion bar springs. At present, most conventional car suspensions use coil springs and torsion bar springs. The air suspension is to replace the ordinary coil spring with an air spring system, and add a set of electronic control system and air pump.

　　The air suspension system is mainly composed of air springs, air supply units (including air compressors, air tanks, distribution valves, etc.), ECU controllers, shock absorbers, and sensors (including high-end sensors and acceleration sensors). . Practice has shown that air suspension systems can significantly improve the driving experience and increase ride comfort during the driving of the vehicle. For example, when the car is driving on a high-speed section, the control unit will control the chassis to lower, the shock absorber damping hardens, the suspension hardens, and the body stability is improved; when the car is driving at low speed for a long time, especially when passing through bumpy roads, the control unit will Control the uplift of the chassis and soften the suspension to improve ride comfort. In addition, the air suspension system can also automatically maintain the level of the vehicle body, whether it is empty or fully loaded, the vehicle body can be maintained in a horizontal state, improving ride comfort.

　　Air suspension system; Picture source: Baolong Technology

　　It is also worth mentioning that compared to traditional fuel vehicles, the application of air suspension systems in new energy vehicles is more important, because new energy vehicles have higher requirements for the stability of the chassis system. Data shows that the current body weight of new energy vehicles is generally between 2.6 tons and 3 tons or even higher (fuel D-class vehicles weigh between 2.4 tons and 2.5 tons), which makes the axle load of bicycles increasingly larger. The load of a single spring is also increasing. Take Krypton 001 as an example. If the model is equipped with a traditional coil spring, the diameter of the steel wire must reach 18 mm, so that the comfort of the vehicle will be greatly reduced. The air spring can not only meet the larger load, but also provide good comfort. sex.

　　The "unattainable" air suspension is descending

　　To sum up, because the air suspension system can significantly improve vehicle handling and comfort, it is mostly configured in high-end models of luxury brands and once became one of the symbols of high-end luxury cars. However, luxury means high value. It is understood that the price of luxury brand models with standard air suspension systems is above 700,000 yuan, and optional installations also start at 500,000 yuan.

　　Such a high price discourages many consumers, but it also makes the highly practical configuration of air suspension "unattainable." As far as my country’s passenger car market is concerned, in the era of fuel vehicles, due to technical capabilities and limited cost space, the matching rate of air suspension systems for autonomous passenger cars is low. According to calculations by relevant agencies, the penetration rate including joint venture models It's less than 3%.

　　A good phenomenon is that with the vigorous development of the new energy vehicle market, new domestic car manufacturers and traditional independent car companies are embracing to provide consumers with a more comfortable driving experience and higher The "cost-effective" user-enterprise mentality has taken the air suspension system away from the "mortal".

　　At present, all models of Weilai Automobile are equipped with air suspension models, and the lowest price has dropped to 390,000 yuan; Hongqi's many electric vehicles are equipped with air suspension, and the lowest price is more than 400,000 yuan; Lantu FREE and Jikrypton 001 is priced in the upper and lower range of 300,000 yuan. Although only mid-to-high-end models can be equipped with air suspension systems, compared with the high-end models that started at 500,000 in the past, the price has dropped significantly.

　　In the general view of the industry, with the continuous launch of domestic high-end brands of independent models, and the impact of localization of the supply chain, the price band of the air suspension model is expected to drop to 250,000 yuan, and the penetration rate of more than 250,000 models Will continue to improve.

　　In addition, according to the results of the “Self-owned Brand Car Crowd Survey in 2021”, from the perspective of car purchase factors, compared with traditional independent brands, smart technology and driving experience are the main selling points of independent new power brands and independent high-end brands. The rack system can meet these two requirements at the same time.

　　Under the goal of full carbon neutrality, new energy vehicles will undoubtedly usher in a faster development. At the same time, combined with the upgrade demand of market consumption, there is reason to believe that the penetration rate of air suspension systems in new models will continue to increase. According to CITIC Securities' estimates, by 2025, the air suspension system will begin to penetrate the 250,000 yuan model market, and the domestic and global penetration rates will increase to 15% and 12%, respectively, and the market size will reach 31.9 billion and 76.5 billion respectively. With the continuous increase in the penetration rate of vehicles with more than 250,000 yuan, it is expected that by 2030, the domestic and global penetration rates of air suspension systems will further increase to 20% and 18%, and the market size will be 40.5 billion and 108 billion yuan respectively.

　　Local suppliers break through the core components of air suspension

　　It should be pointed out that although the air suspension system has a broad market prospect, there are still certain technical barriers in the supply of this product, especially the two core components of air spring and air supply unit.

　　From a global perspective, foreign suppliers started earlier in this field and have more advanced technology. Therefore, for a long time, air suspension assemblies and accessories were mainly foreign-funded suppliers. For example, veteran air suspension suppliers represented by Continental and Wiebuck have comprehensive supply capabilities covering ECUs, air springs, shock absorbers and other components, and they have been equipped with high-end foreign models such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Land Rover. WABCO, a subsidiary of ZF, has a deep accumulation in the field of commercial vehicle air suspension, supporting heavy commercial vehicles such as China National Heavy Duty Truck.

　　On the whole, due to the lack of supply resources, the market demand has increased year by year, and the air suspension system has always been in the seller-dominated market. It is reported that the current bicycle value of the air suspension system is more than 10,000 yuan, and some are as high as more than 20,000 yuan. Therefore, in order to reduce the configuration cost of the system, the OEM has formulated a set of cost-reducing measures, such as disassembling the large total components of the air suspension into small assemblies such as air supply units, air springs, shock absorbers and sensors, and at the same time autonomously Do customized integration and concentrate the air suspension system in the intelligent chassis system.

　　While the 　　 spin-off strategy reduces the total price of the suspended system, it also provides an opportunity for domestic local suppliers to make a single breakthrough. It is understood that the current three companies, Zhongding, Konghui Automobile, and Baolong Technology have achieved mass production of air suspension related products. Among them, in 2016, Zhongding acquired AMK, a leading foreign suspension company (the top three in the suspension industry, and the same name as the mainland and ZF subsidiary WABCO), which has a relatively high technical barrier advantage and has become a domestic The main supplier of air supply units. Konghui Automobile has the ability of air suspension electronic control, etc., and has already supplied to Hongqi, Great Wall and other automakers. Baolong Technology has been developing air springs since 2012. It has accumulated a lot of expertise in this field. It has been supplied to many car companies and Tier1, and has a leading position in the commercial vehicle OEM market.

　　Baolong Technology air spring products; Picture source: Baolong Technology

　　It is worth mentioning that in addition to the core component air spring, Baolong Technology has achieved mass production of air suspension system products including air tanks, height sensors, body acceleration sensors, and suspension control units (ECU). Gasgoo Motors learned that on December 28, Baolong Technology's self-developed passenger car air spring damper strut assembly and independent air springs will be mass-produced at its new Hefei Park plant. This component has been awarded the new energy head brand. The four main engine projects of car companies have been designated. The brand-new electronically controlled variable damping shock absorber is equipped with core products such as air springs. The solutions provided by Baolong Technology for the vehicle air suspension system are highly anticipated by the industry.

　　In the long run, it is expected that the supply method of OEMs splitting the air suspension at fixed points is expected to become a trend, and with the continuous improvement of the product technology level of local suppliers represented by Baolong Technology, it is bringing superior performance to OEMs. And when cheaper products are superimposed on faster and high-quality services, the pace of localization of air suspension systems is expected to accelerate. Once localized substitution is achieved, the overall value of the suspended bicycle will be reduced to 8,500 yuan. With the demand, the value of the bicycle will be further reduced to 7,500 yuan by 2030.

　　This article is reproduced from Gasgoo.com