Can the internally competitive Chinese car market promote the popularization of rear wheel steering
The Flexible Secret of "Big Body"
What effectively reduced the turning diameter of the Xiaopeng X9, which is nearly 5.3m long, to an astonishing 10.8 meters?
What enables the super intelligent sedan Zhiji L6 to perform "crab like" movement, achieve lateral translation through front and rear wheel direction deviation, and turn around in place, achieving a minimum turning radius of 4.99 meters?
This innovative design not only enhances the flexibility of the vehicle, but also allows drivers to easily control the vehicle, whether it is traveling in the city or driving in narrow lanes, with ease.
The answer is rear wheel steering, allowing large-sized MPVs to have steering performance comparable to compact cars.
Why is rear wheel steering so popular in the automotive industry?
In addition to improving flexibility at low speeds, rear wheel steering also has a major advantage, which is the ability to enhance vehicle stability and safety during high-speed driving. For example, when turning the steering wheel to avoid danger, the rear wheels can rotate in the opposite direction, increasing steering sensitivity and avoiding potential collisions. For example, when changing lanes at high speeds, the rear wheels can make turns in the same direction, and there is basically no sense of body sway.
If its benefits can be summarized in one sentence, it is "flexible at low speeds, stable at high speeds", which can ultimately significantly improve the handling of the car.
The introduction of rear wheel steering technology will make handling a new focus of consumer attention. In the era of intelligence, introducing rear wheel steering technology is a huge challenge for OEMs, which requires domestic component manufacturers to have more mature intelligent driving algorithms, logic, control, etc. in order to achieve overtaking on bends.
The active rear wheel steering product independently developed by Deke Intelligent Control has completed the first round of customer acceptance in 2023 and is expected to reach mass production level in the second half of this year. Bringing more cost-effective products to host manufacturers, while also providing consumers with a more intelligent driving experience.
When is rear wheel steering becoming popular?
The technology of rear wheel steering in cars was actually born 30 years ago, but it did not become as popular in household cars as shift paddles. For OEMs, the increase in additional costs, the maturity of technology, as well as safety and reliability, all constrain the popularization of rear wheel steering.
With the advent of the electrification era, rear wheel steering technology has begun to be incorporated into large electric vehicles. Compared to gasoline powered vehicles, electric vehicles have inherent advantages in achieving rear wheel steering.
At present, there is a rapid increase in electric vehicles equipped with rear wheel steering, and their prices are getting lower and lower. Models such as Xiaopeng X9, Zhiji L7, and Gaohe Hiphi Y are all equipped with rear wheel steering technology. Among them, the Zhiji L7 has lowered its model price to 338800 yuan.
Not only Xiaopeng and Zhiji, but also Geely recently announced that it will achieve large-scale mass production of AI digital chassis with rear wheel steering and vehicle crab driving capabilities on the Galaxy and Lynk&Co brands no later than next year. It is foreseeable that more car brands may choose to follow up in the future.
Perhaps one day, rear wheel steering can really become a standard technology?
We also hope that with the maturity of technology, it can be popularized, allowing our family cars to enjoy the fun of turning.
