In the lead up to the 2020 Beijing Auto Show, Shanghai, China-based Human Horizons unveiled their latest addition to the world of “super electric cars.” The vehicle is just another example of world-first and other leading-edge technologies coming from the growing number of new Chinese OEMs.
The company says it HiPhi X blurs the line between cutting-edge technology and luxury to create a new market segment it calls Techluxe. In essence, the large, relatively low-riding luxury crossover concept is similar in execution to Faraday Future’s FF 91.
The product team focused on three guiding principles of “design defined by scenarios, vehicle defined by software, and value defined by co-creation.” It did so with the backdrop of “great changes in the automotive industry driven by new technologies such as the Internet, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and 5G communications,” said Ding Lei, Founder of Human Horizons and HiPhi.
The company’s goal was to translate his three guiding principles to explore the future of transportation designed for “pioneers,” he said. “With these people in mind, we have already surpassed the traditional car manufacturing mind-set and have anchored our thinking on three new HUA dimensions to design the vehicles of tomorrow.” The acronym’s H stands for Performance Intelligence, U for V2X Collaboration, and A for Connectivity and Sharing.
The X’s lightweight hybrid-aluminum construction underpins an overall vehicle design that includes a short front overhang and a low drag coefficient of 0.27 Cd enabled by aero-optimized 22-inch wheels and a flat underfloor, the aero focus on reduced wind noise and enhanced handling stability. The X has a long 3150-mm (124.0-in) wheelbase to maximize occupant space thanks to the minimized space needed for the powertrain. It is a fairly large vehicle, with a length of 5.2 m (17.1 ft), but rear-wheel steering enables a small-car-like turning radius of just 11.6 m (38.1 ft).
Both X axles can be fitted with a 97.2% efficient electric motor producing 220 kW and 410 N·m (302 lb·ft) and enabling acceleration from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.9 s.
The large-capacity 97 kW·h battery, CrossLoop energy-management, and cloud battery management system combine for an NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) range of 550 km (342 mi) for the Founders Edition and 630 km (391 mi) for the Extended Range version. The CrossLoop system, which integrates the air-conditioning heat pump and battery thermal management system to rapidly adjust cabin and optimize battery temperature, is said to half the energy consumption of traditional electric vehicles.
Human Horizons pitches the HiPhi X as a world leader in innovation. One of the claimed world firsts is the programmable and customizable matrix lighting system, comprised of dual-core lighting modules with PML (programmable matrix lighting) and ISD (intelligent signal display) panels. The PML has a built-in electronic control unit (ECU) chipset to control the lamp and its micro mirrors for path and brightness using infrared camera sensing for pedestrians and vehicles.
The X is said to be the first in the industry to combine infrared night vision technology and smart headlamps in this way, detecting objects and people with more precision and allowing the light to shine further. The system can perform real-time detection on up to six entities including pedestrians and vehicles within 400 m (1310 ft) range at night.
The PML enables the lights to adapt based on the speed of the vehicle, automatically switching among four driving modes: standard low, urban high, standard high, and cluster high. The technology can detect driving conditions and adjust for lighting features such as vehicle tracking, trajectory prediction, lane-departure warning, and lane-change alert. It also enables the projection of text, images, and video footage for various use cases including festival light shows, customizable user images, or movies. As a part of its Human Oriented Architecture (HOA), users can program their lights, customizing via the editing interface or mobile application.
The ISD uses four matrices, one on each corner, formed by 1712 LEDs. The smart interactive light is designed with dynamic graphics for seven primary driving situations: forward collision warning, rear collision warning, U-turn indicator, charging status monitor, vehicle lock reminder, remote control auto parking monitor, and pedestrian yield reminder.
Human Horizons claims another X first is the touch-free door-handle design. The NT wing-door design can open up or out, selectable by the passenger, and unlocked by facial-recognition software.
Once inside, passengers can experience another claimed world first in the vehicle’s combination of a graphical programming interface; customizable immersive cockpit; and AI creation capability for poetry, paintings, and music. The state-of-the-art UX system is supported by HiPhiGo, a Microsoft-engineered AI billed as the world’s first emotionally intelligent transportation assistant. The interactive design features a TouchPad multi-function steering wheel, a 14.6-in full LCD instrument cluster, 16.9-in central touchscreen, 19.9-in co-pilot screen, a rearview mirror capable of media streaming, a high-definition color HUD, and capacitive door touch panels.
The vehicle’s high-end Meridian’s audio system has a custom 600-W amplifier along with its Re-Q and Digital Precision technologies. The system’s 12 independent channels are deployed with the company’s Horizon technology for “complete” immersion and superb balance throughout the interior.
Enabling all of this is its secure, “developer-enabled,” HOA (Human Oriented Architecture) electrical architecture. HOA is supported by a neural network consisting of six “super brain” domain controllers connected by Gigabit Ethernet. This AI computing framework is capable of processing massive amounts of information, making independent decisions through cloud computing driven by a powerful data-analysis engine.
The open-source software platform and development tools empower partners, third-party developers, and users to create new dynamic features and scenarios to provide an ever-growing application ecosystem.
Combined with 5G-V2X technology and world-leading in-car data transmission bandwidth, the X continuously monitors itself and its surroundings. The system uses more than 562 in-built sensors and its software can be updated over-the-air. The X contains 307 electronically controlled actuators that, when used with Human Horizons’ custom-developed middleware, enables a connected, smart vehicle experience.
The X’s HiPhi Pilot is said to be the first-production SAE Level 3 automated driving system on a model in China. It can control vehicle driving systems based on the perception of surroundings via information monitoring for braking, power, steering, and distance calculation. The system is said to be safe and reliable for drivers to take their hands of the steering wheel, feet from the pedals, and eyes off the road.
The world’s first Level 4 Autonomous Valet Parking (AVP) production system combines laser and radar sensors with advanced communications to automatically navigate supported parking garages, park the vehicle safely, and then summon the vehicle.
The X will be produced in small volumes starting at the end of 2020 and will be officially released to the market in 2021. Pricing in China for the four- and six-seater versions will be from RMB ￥800,000 and RMB ￥680,000, respectively. The first 3000 owners will receive a lifetime service guarantee.
