Industry dynamics

HiPhi becomes latest Chinese EV startup to use large die-casting technology

Publishtime:2019/08/16 Views:10

Human Horizons, the owner of the HiPhi brand, announced that it has rolled off the production line with a local parts supplier for an integrated, large die-cast rear body structure based on a giant 7,200-ton die-casting machine.

In the age of electric vehicles (EVs), new technologies are being used at a rapid pace, and large-scale integrated die-casting technology is one of them.

Chinese EV maker Human Horizons, which owns the premium HiPhi brand, announced on Saturday that it and local component supplier Ningbo Tuopu Group have rolled out a large integrated die-cast rear body structure based on a 7,200-ton giant die-casting machine.

The large die-casting process, widely known after its use by Tesla, allows the production of large castings without heat treatment and shortens production cycles.

Compared to the traditional body manufacturing stamping and welding process, one-piece die casting can help reduce the weight of the model, reduce the number of parts and process steps, resulting in significant cost savings.

Tesla is currently using a 6,000-ton integrated die-casting machine in the production of the Model Y. Media reports said the company will use an 8,000-ton integrated die-casting machine for the Cybertruck.

Previous media reports have said that six Chinese car companies intend to use similar equipment to produce vehicles.

On October 18 of last year, Nio announced that it had successfully validated the development of a heat-treatment-free material that could be used to make large die castings.

This is the first of its kind for a Chinese car company, and the new material will be used in models built on Nio's second-generation platform, according to Nio.

The rear subframe of Nio's ET5 sedan, released late last year, uses an integrated die-casting process, according to the company.

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