Aiways: the advantages of being a startup

Aiways, the very young Chinese car manufacturer – was founded in 2017 – responds to the more or less veiled accusations that have rained down on it (“lack of experience” …) explaining the enormous advantages linked to being a startup. Especially in terms of brand and product development.

A sort of quite sensational overturning but which is argued with precision: “Our company – they explain to Aiways – was founded in 2017 with the ambition to combine Chinese production know-how with international technological experience to create a range of electric vehicles to be offered on the European market, where it debuted with the U5 SUV. Launched in 2019, in 2020 it became the first Chinese electric vehicle to be exported to Europe, filling a gap in the market with a 100% green SUV. high quality contents and an affordable price. Aiways, whose model is currently marketed in 16 countries, has a success story that is worth telling “.

Alexander Klose himself, vice president of overseas operations then explains that “Traditional brands have to deal with limitations and expectations, while new companies have the advantage of offering themselves the way they want”.
“As a startup – continues the manager – we were able to choose and select the best experts, capable of supporting us at every stage of the process. Furthermore, we have worked with global partners in order to develop a range of proprietary technologies, which have given us significant advantages over the competition, despite our being a very young brand ”.

All this leads to the use of proprietary technologies, such as the world‘s first modular platform, a ‘sandwich’ battery pack and a three-in-one powertrain. The result is the More Adaptable Structure platform, the first in the world to use steel above and aluminum below. From a technical point of view, the main joints of the lower part are in fact formed by a single piece of die-cast aluminum to guarantee the rigidity of the body, while for the other parts it is the resistance that is a priority. “Let’s take the shock absorber for example – explain the technicians – at its thinnest point it measures only 2.5 mm, making it particularly difficult to print. Thanks to in-depth research to identify the best manufacturers of precision components in the world, Aiways is soon arrived at the most suitable solution “.

All of this translates into creating a lightweight frame. with 52% aluminum the weight of the car body has been reduced by 50 kg compared to combustion vehicles, thus improving overall efficiency. Parallel to the development of the proprietary platform, the Aiways engineering team worked on the “sandwich” battery pack. The cooling plate and the battery module are separated by an insulating plate to prevent coolant from entering the module and causing problems even in the event of a collision. For further added protection, the bottom of the battery pack and the battery module are separated by a safety gap of 15 mm.

In short, all technical innovations that are easy to implement for a startup that has one of the main basic characteristics in its speed of execution of ideas. And speaking of speed, after the U5 the new U6 sports suv is already ready.