Picture a family SUV that feels like an EV around town and costs a fraction to run, but has none of the range anxiety when itโs time for a road trip. For that long-planned adventure, there would be no boundaries, no need to plan your route around fast-charging stations, or worry about where you can plug in overnight. Well, the technology is already here, in the form of Cheryโs Super Hybrid (CSH) system, which is the heartbeat of the new Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid.
As the name suggests, this new generation system blends proven hybrid technology with modern EV thinking to create a new breed of electrified transport. It not only allows up to 95km of all-electric driving range but also means you can travel up to 1200km when hybrid mode is engaged. To put that into perspective: if you start in Sydney, you could drive to Melbourne or Brisbane on a single tank of fuel.
Itโs the best of all worlds: for everyday commuting โ whether thatโs the journey to work, keeping the kids in check, or heading to the beach โ you can run purely on affordable and increasingly environmentally-friendly electricity. And for longer trips, you donโt have to worry about planning a charging route or taking extended stops.
At the heart of Cheryโs Super Hybrid vehicles is an 18.4kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery that feeds an electric motor making 150kW and 310Nm. Charge it at home and you could cover those 95km for a fraction of what it would cost for petrol or nothing if you rely on rooftop solar. On an EV electricity plan, the average daily drive could cost less than $1.00, which is about one-fifth of what youโd expect to pay in fuel for a regular hybrid SUV. It also means you can go weeks (months, even) without visiting a petrol station.
With the average car travelling less than 40km per day, most Chery Super Hybrid owners will enjoy the everyday benefits of electric driving without any of the usual compromises.
The Chery Super Hybrid system also features an advanced 1.5-litre four-cylinder direct injection engine designed to maximise the benefits of both electricity and petrol. This sophisticated engineering isnโt just giving us one of the most thermally efficient engines in its class, itโs one of the most efficient engines ever fitted to a road-going vehicle. Itโs the sort of thing that needs to be driven to be believed.
The secret is in the way the engine controls airflow, ensuring it can breathe more efficiently and squeeze more energy out of every last drop of fuel. Thereโs also an electronically controlled turbocharger to further balance the demands of performance and efficiency. While the Miller-cycle combustion process can ordinarily compromise drivability, the CSH system overcomes it with the integration of its electric motor.
The generous torque โ or pulling power โ produced by the e-motor delivers an almost instantaneous response โ just like a pure EV, without the slight delay you get from a petrol-only engine.
Thanks to the advanced Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, speeds below 80 km/h rely solely on electric power. The single-speed unit means no clunky gearshifts, and also ensures that it makes the most of the effortless electric propulsion. At higher speeds, it can seamlessly introduce the petrol engine to boost performance and also leverage the efficiency gains of the CSH system.
At lower speeds, the petrol engine may still run, acting like a small generator to supply electricity for the motor. This allows the system to accelerate smoothly while maintaining charge levels for later use. At highway speeds, the petrol engine takes over, delivering performance well above that of a typical family SUV.
The really clever bit is that the engine has been tuned and tailored for life within the advanced hybrid system, not only able to maximise everyday performance but also eking every last kilometre out of a drop of fuel.
The interplay between the cutting-edge petrol engine and the electric system is all monitored by an advanced control unit that ensures the system always has enough charge to deliver that EV-like driving experience. The battery in the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid never drops below 20% state of charge, ensuring thereโs always something in reserve and maintaining that EV driving experience.
So even on those longer trips when running in hybrid mode thereโs the same effortless performance and easy, predictable response. All up, the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid is a family SUV that blends practicality with forward-thinking EV tech, delivering the sweet spot for Australians who want everyday efficiency in the city and freedom on the open road.
This article is presented in partnership with Chery. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
