The Voyah Free crossover sentenced to exile in the Russian Federation has a long-range version
Material content
Export version
Voyah, a subsidiary of the Chinese automaker Dongfeng, is manufactured by Lantu Motors, a company specifically created by Dongfeng to produce smart electric vehicles. And Voyah Free, the first of them, has been released since December 2020. This Chinese man with a European face was designed jointly with the famous ItalDesign Guigaro design bureau and was originally designed for global expansion, for fierce competition with the European premium. In Europe, Voyah Free, by the way, is already on sale, the brand has a representative office in Norway.
Video
smart electricity
The main problem of all electric vehicles in Russia is the range, especially in winter, when the battery capacity drops. Once upon a time, my impressions of trips to Jaguar I-Pace and Audi etron were hopelessly damaged by the fact that there was simply nowhere to charge them in the city, so the test turned out every time plus or minus around the press park.
Voyah Free in the hybrid version gives a different degree of freedom. He has three modes of operation of the power unit, Intellectual, Pure, Fuel, are selected through the menu of the central screen. In the first, the car itself decides where to get electricity from, from a battery or connect a generator. The second mode is purely electric. In the third, the electric motors are fed by the energy that a 109-horsepower internal combustion engine produces, taking 92nd or better 95th gasoline from a 55-liter tank.
After receiving the test car with a fully charged battery, I drove in “intelligent” mode by default. In a hybrid, you need to monitor both the condition of the battery and the level of fuel in the tank. So Voyah Free has a left on the dashboard – the charge level and the mileage on electric traction. On the right is the fuel level indicator and the range on gasoline.
At the start, the car promised 142 km of run on the battery. The tank was about a quarter full, but I did not pay attention to it, I focused on the possibilities of electric traction. Forty minutes of driving around the city, then about the same amount on the highway, at a speed of 110 km / h, with one passenger. All this – with the included climate control and massage of both seats. After that, 20% of the charge remained in the Voyah Free battery. The total mileage by that time was approximately 120 kilometers, the air temperature overboard was about zero. The minimum battery charge at which the internal combustion engine turns on can be set at different levels in Voyah Free. The main thing is not to land the battery “to zero” on the road: then it will not work to charge it with the onboard generator alone, you will need to connect to the network.
Modifications and options
In terms of its dimensions (4905x1950x1645 mm.), Voyah Free has the right to settle in the “prestigious” class next to the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and Land Cruiser 300, and in no way inferior to the Europeans in terms of equipment level. And even more: the Chinese electric SUV has emphatically expensive equipment, which is not without status “chips”.
As an example, the rising and falling front panel, which houses three 12.3-inch displays. Thus, they can be partially hidden, leaving only the upper sectors, while the display of the “picture” on all three blocks will adapt to the changing screen size.
Also in the Voyah Free 2023 Long Range version, a glass roof with electrochromic dimming is offered. For better aerodynamics of the body, recessed door handles are provided, and all-round cameras that display an image on the central display and an adaptive “cruise” are designed to help the driver. To match the rest of the equipment and the level of finish is expensive leather and soft plastics, which have a two-tone design.
Voyah Free Exterior
The crossover breaks into the automotive market with a stylish, slightly brutal design. The front part is distinguished by rectangular optics with sharp corners. The radiator grill received vertical inserts. The bumper has pleasant curves, fog optics are built into the recesses. Exterior details are shown in the Voyah Free photo.
The profile is long, with a short rear overhang. Roof rails are installed. The rear optics are connected by an LED strip through the luggage compartment lid. The headlights are decorated with arrow indicators that light up when they are turned on. A high-gloss black rear bumper trim completes the design.
Overall dimensions of the Voyah Free crossover: length – 4.905 m, width – 1.950 m, height – 1.690 m.
Technical characteristics of the Voyah Free electric car
Let’s take a closer look at each of the two versions below. General characteristics of Voyah Free are presented in the table.
| checkpoint | Automatic |
| Drive unit | Full |
| Brakes (front/rear) | Disc with ventilation |
| Wheel size | 255/45 R20 |
| Air resistance coefficient | 0.28 |
| Wheelbase | 2960 mm |
| Ground clearance | 180 mm |
Reference! The car comes with a charger.
Voyah Free Engine
The fully electric version is equipped with two electric motors – one for each axle. The total power is 500 kW (680 hp). Peak torque reaches 1000 Nm.
The rechargeable hybrid version is additionally equipped with an internal combustion engine. The principle of operation of Voyah Free is built according to a sequential scheme. 109 hp petrol engine is not connected in any way with the wheels, but works as a generator, which allows you to increase mileage and better unlock the potential of electric motors.
Dynamic Voyah Free
For the electric version, acceleration to “hundreds” takes 4.6 seconds. The speed limit is limited to 200 km/h.
The hybrid version has a similar top speed. However, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is slightly slower at 4.8 seconds. The reason is the installed internal combustion engine, which increased the mass of the car.
Battery and power reserve (mileage) on one charge Voyah Free
The triple lithium-ion high-voltage battery is located under the floor of the car, which avoids shifting the center of gravity. The capacity is 88 kWh, and the mileage of the Voyah Free electric car reaches 500 km according to the NEDC cycle.
The hybrid configuration is equipped with the same type of battery, but the Voyah Free battery capacity is 33 kWh, but thanks to the operation of the internal combustion engine, the total mileage on a single charge rises to 860 km.
Important! It is worth noting that the hybrid, when using only the electric mode, has a mileage of only 140 km.
The battery uses “three-dimensional insulating wall” technology. This means that the battery is protected from overheating and explosions. A 1000ºC fire-resistant top layer protects the interior from heat.
Power reserve in winter
At low temperatures, the car spends extra energy to maintain the optimum temperature of the battery in order to prevent its destruction.
With the Voyah Free electric car, the range drops to an average of 350 km at temperatures around -15ºC. In the hybrid version, the mileage is reduced to 690 km.
Charging Voyah Free
Voyah Free is charged using a standard 11 kW device and lasts 8.5 hours. At a fast charging station, charging up to 80% takes 45 minutes.
Options and prices
Free from Voyah is officially imported to the Russian market by the Lipetsk company Motorinvest (owns the Evolute brand) exclusively in a purely electric version with a return of 488 hp. at a price of 7,990,000 rubles (as of autumn 2022).
It is noteworthy, but the “gray” dealers offer a 694-horsepower electric crossover, and ask for it from ≈4.5 million rubles.
The basic equipment of the five-door includes: front and side airbags, full LED optics, virtual instrument cluster, media system with two 12.3-inch screens, all-round cameras, dual-zone climate control, ten-speaker audio system, adaptive cruise control, car parking, 20 -inch alloy wheels, heated all seats, ventilation and electric front seats, electric fifth door, panoramic roof and a bunch of other modern options.