The WM Motor (Weltmeister) EX5 is a battery electric compact crossover SUV that is manufactured by the Chinese NEV manufacturer WM Motor (Chinese: 威马汽车) under the brand Weltmeister. The model was first announced in December 2017 and unveiled to the public in May 2018 at the Beijing Auto Show. Mass production of the EX5 began in September 2018.

EX5
Overview
ManufacturerWM Motor
Production2018–2022
AssemblyChina: Wenzhou[1]
DesignerIcona
Body and chassis
ClassCompact crossover SUV (C)
Body style5-door SUV
Powertrain
Electric motorPermanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
Power output160 kW (215 hp; 218 PS)
Transmission1-speed direct-drive
Battery52.5 kWh
69 kWh
Electric range400 km (248.5 mi) & 520 km (323.1 mi)
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,703 mm (106.4 in)
Length4,585 mm (180.5 in)[2]
Width1,835 mm (72.2 in)
Height1,672 mm (65.8 in)

Overview

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WM Motor EX5 rear

The WM Motor EX5 production version made its debut at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show. The price of the EX5 ranges from CNY¥139,800 (~US$20,000) to CNY¥189,800 (~US$27,100), inclusive of Chinese government electric vehicle subsidies.[3]

There are three variants of the EX5, the EX5 400 Mate, EX5 400 and EX5 520. The EX5 400 Mate and EX5 400 are both equipped with a 52.5 kWh (189 MJ) battery that provides 400 kilometres (250 mi) NEDC range. The EX5 520 is equipped with a 69 kWh (250 MJ) battery and achieves 520 kilometres (320 mi) NEDC range.[3] In all EX5 variants, WM Motor uses 160 kW (218 PS; 215 hp) electric drive modules supplied by BorgWarner that can provide up to 315 N⋅m (232 lb⋅ft; 32 kg⋅m) of torque.[3]

WM Motor supplies a 6.6 kW, 220V home charger that can fully charge the EX5 in 8.5 to 9 hours. Charging from 30% to 80% takes 30 minutes when using 120 kW DC fast chargers.

The EX5 is built around three core technologies – the 'Living Motion' electric powertrain, the 'Living Pilot' intelligent driving assistance system, with L2 ADAS autonomous driving features, as well as the 'Living Engine' operating system, which offers smart connectivity and interactive features in the cabin.

On 28 September 2018, one year from the start of the production of the EX5, the company announced that it had delivered over 16,000 EX5s,[4] with the model maintaining a customer satisfaction score of 97%.[4]

Core Technology

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Living Pilot – Driving assistance and autonomous driving features

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Since Q2 2019, the EX5 can be equipped with a full suite of Bosch L2 ADAS features, making the EX5 the first model in its category that delivers the full suite of L2 ADAS features.[5] The Living Pilot L2 ADAS features are enabled through one high-definition front camera, three medium distance millimeter wave radars, a 360-degree camera system consisting of 4 cameras mounted around the vehicle, and 12 ultrasonic radar sensors.[3] In January, 2019, WM Motor announced a long-term strategic partnership with Baidu to jointly develop L3 and L4 autonomous driving technologies, and establish the 'WM Motor & Baidu Apollo Intelligent Vehicle Joint Research Center'.[6]

Living Engine - Smart Connectivity and Interactive Features

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WM Motor's Living Engine is powered by the company's own operating system, which integrates software applications and technologies. The Living Engine consists of proprietary features as well as third-party applications developed by WM Motor's partners including Tencent (QQ Music for music streaming; WeChat for instant messaging), Baidu (Baidu Maps for navigation), iQiyi (video streaming platform) as well as Xiaomi and Gree Electric (smart home appliances). Through the use of facial recognition technology, Living Engine can automatically consolidate the driver's online music and video streaming and social media accounts to the vehicle. Living Engine deploys a 12.8 inch rotating touch screen display which functions as the main user interface for the infotainment and environmental control systems as well as a 12.3 inch interactive LCD instrument display.

Living Engine is also integrated with an onboard virtual assistant, 'Xiaowei' (Chinese: 小威)that uses voice recognition technology to respond to commands from the driver and passengers.

Living Motion - E-Powertrain

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WM Motor's Living Motion E-powertrain consists of an electric drive module, battery pack and electronic control insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). Living Motion uses components from suppliers including BorgWarner (electric drive module), Infineon (electronic control IGBT), as well as CATL (宁德时代), Tianjin Lishen (天津力神) and Tafel (塔菲尔新能源科技) (lithium-ion battery cells and modules). The battery pack is fitted with WM Motor's own BMS that monitors and maintains battery cell temperatures in climate conditions ranging from −30 °C (−22 °F) to 50 °C (122 °F) The BMS helps to stabilise energy output and maintain the EX5's driving range between charges and over the lifetime of the vehicle.[7] The BMS also helps to prevent battery degradation, with the EX5 having been shown to experience only 5% degradation after 160,000 kilometres (99,000 mi) of real world driving.

Safety

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In July 2019, the EX5 was certified with C-NCAP 5-star safety rating.[8]

Battery

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The EX5's battery pack is positioned at the center of the car and has an ingress protection rating of IP67, meaning that the battery is 100% protected against dust, sand and other outside elements.[7]

L2 ADAS

WM Motor has, together with its partners, developed an intelligent driving assistance system for the EX5 that incorporates a range of safety features, including Adaptive Cruise Control (ACCA), Intersection Collision Avoidance (ICA), Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) and Automatic Parking Assist (APA), as well as eight further security features. WM Motor releases quarterly OTA updates aimed at improving its L2 systems.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "WM Motor starts selling debut model EX5". electrive.com. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Weltmeister EX5 specs" (in Chinese (China)).
  3. ^ a b c d "WM Motor Spec Sheet (Chinese)". WM Motor. 8 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b "A Year in Review: WM Motor Celebrates the Anniversary of its First Vehicle Deliveries". WM Motor. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  5. ^ "WM Motor Launches EX5 2.0 with 'Living Pilot' L2 ADAS Features". WM Motor. 12 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Baidu, WM Motor announce strategic partnership for L3, L4 autonomous driving solutions". Gasgoo. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b "WM Motor - EX5". www.wm-motor.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  8. ^ a b "WM Motor 2019 Half-Year Achievements". WM Motor. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
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