- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru He
Li One. Three-motor perfection
The Li One is the first model of the Chinese company Li Auto founded in 2015. The luxury three-row full-size SUV is a series plug-in hybrid powered by two electric motors, with an internal combustion engine acting as a generator. In 2021, this ‘three-motor perfection’ boasted the second longest electric range of any PHEV in the world, 180 km within the NEDC cycle. The vehicle was produced from 2019, and was sold from the beginning of 2020 until October 2022. A total of 171.4 thousand units were sold. The price, which started at 52,500 dollars, did not affect good sales. On the contrary, when the production was stopped, the audience was very dissatisfied. Even despite the fact that the manufacturer introduced the new Li L9.
The manufacturer gives a lifetime warranty, which covers almost everything (engines, body, and electronics), but is valid only for the first owner, whereas the second owner gets the limited warranty: 5 years for the car and 8 years for the battery. A free assistance service operates on all roads in China. The Li Auto does not release spare parts for retail sale, and the engine compartment is closed, the owner is only allowed to add fluid to the washer.
Exterior
The Li One is a rather large SUV, a little over 5 meters long, 1,960 mm wide and 1,760 mm high. Its headlights are fully LED, consist of 6 spotlights and are interconnected by a luminous strip, which adds a memorable feature to the image. In general, the vehicle looks dynamic, elegant and beautiful. The wheels are 21-inch.
Interior and equipment
The interior is also unusual. The entire width of the front panel is occupied by three displays lined up in a single block: they have different diagonals (12, 16 and 12 inches), but the same height. And, as if it weren’t enough, there’s another 10-inch climate control touchscreen below. There are voice control and 4G-connection. The sound system produces great sound. The passenger compartment has 6 or 7 seats. The equipment includes a heated steering wheel, Nappa leather trim, electric drive and ventilation of the front seats. Interestingly, the SUV is offered in a single, very rich configuration.
Powertrains
The Li Auto One has two electric motors: a front one with a capacity of 130 hp and a rear one with 190 hp. The total output is 320 hp and 530 Nm. It takes the SUV 6.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. The 1.2-liter turbo gasoline engine is in no way connected with the wheels and acts only as a generator. On a single charge, the SUV is able to travel 180 km, but as soon as the battery starts to discharge and its charge drops to a certain level, the internal combustion engine is activated. A full tank of gasoline (45 liters) provides an additional range of 600 km.
2021 restyling
In May 2021, the Li One was slightly modernized. The external design has not changed, only the direction indicators have moved to the lower part of the bumper. It is hard to understand why they were lowered to a less noticeable place, but the modernization took into account the wishes of customers. The manufacturer has kept only 6-seater versions, which accounted for more than 90% of sales. The restyled SUV has acquired a socket for connecting external electrical appliances with a power of up to 2.2 kW and an upgraded set of electronic assistants.
More importantly, the vehicle has acquired a longer driving range thanks to a larger gas tank (55 liters versus the previous 45 liters). Because of this, it was even necessary to install a more compact electric motor on the rear axle. However, its power has increased from 190 to 197 hp, but the torque has fallen from 290 to 215 Nm. The peak output is now 333 hp and 455 Nm instead of the previous 326 hp and 530 Nm, which slightly worsened the dynamics. The 40.5 kWh traction battery remains the same, but the range has increased from 180 km to 188 km thanks to the more fuel-efficient rear motor. And thanks to a larger supply of gasoline, the total driving range of the 2021/2022 Li Auto One has increased to 1,080 km!
Did you know that one of the first series plug-in hybrid cars appeared back in 2009 in the USA and was called the Fisker Karma, later renamed the Karma Revero? Today there is at least one similar car, also Chinese and also an SUV, the Dongfeng Voyah Free, with a fantastic engine with 680 hp and a total driving range of 860 km (purely on the battery, the vehicle travels 140 km).
