May 18, 2022

Is The Chery Tiggo 8 PRO PHEV A Viable Solution To The High Fuel Prices?


As gas prices continue to hover around the 75-peso mark, Chery Auto Philippines thinks it may have found a solution in the form of their first-ever locally-available plug-in hybrid, the Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV.

At the heart of this new hybrid system is Chery’s use of “three engines.” The first is a turbocharged gasoline engine that, by itself, already delivers 156 horsepower and 230 Nm of torque. This is then paired to two electric motors—one having an output of 74 horsepower and 160 Nm of torque, and another having 95 horsepower and 155 Nm of torque. Combined, the manufacturer says it’s good for 320 horsepower and around 510 Nm of torque.

A 19.27-kWh lithium-ion battery offers an all-electric cruising range of up to 90 kilometers on a full charge. Keeping the battery topped up costs just P 173 as per Chery Auto Philippines’ estimates, and can be done using a common ungrounded 220-volt household outlet (charging time is approximately five hours). Combined with a full tank of gas (45 liters), however, the maximum cruising range reaches past 3,400 kilometers or roughly 78 km/L. The battery is backed up by a 10-year warranty.

More than just the engine, Chery has bolted it onto their revolutionary Dedicated Hybrid Transmission or DHT which offers the equivalent of 11 speeds. The carmaker has computed this by combining the combustion engine’s standard CVT gearbox with a two-speed dual clutch. This gearbox, Chery says, offers “near infinite gear combinations.” This means that whether the driver wants the lowest fuel consumption, the highest performance, the best towing capabilities or any other application specific use, the transmission can deliver.

Driving the front wheels, the quoted 0 to 100 km/h acceleration figure is less than 7 seconds.

During its development, this new powertrain was tested for more than 30,000 hours and five million combined testing kilometers. This, according to Chery, promises a real-world service life of 1.5 times the industry average.

Priced at P 2.4-million, the Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV serves as the top-of-the-line variant of Chery’s new flagship 7-seater SUV. Granted it’s pricey for a Chinese branded vehicle, but given the technology it packs underneath, it does undercut the other plug-in hybrid choices in the market.

10 comments:

  1. Bring down the prices of EVs!

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  2. Have you tested the car?

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    1. Unfortunately, no. Luck of the draw meant we got to drive the 1.6T (impressions out soon). But we're also in line for a full test drive of the PHEV too.

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  3. Mas okay na to kesa sa Tiggo 8 Pro na 1.6M mas okay yung Tiggo 8 dati or Okavango.

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  4. It’s much much better provides you have an outlet outside your home to charge everyday

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  5. Oh you need to check periodic maintenance requirement since most of the run will be electric thus the engine will be hardly used. So change oil would still be every 10km?

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous, please advise what kind of oil need change every 10km? Thanks

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    2. Almost every car manufacturer requires an oil change every 10,000-km. Same goes for the Tiggo 8 PRO.

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  6. This is a good start for this segment. Let's wait what other brands will offer to counter this one. Then at least that time, we'll have a one suited to our needs than the other.

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