The author lives in a small fourth tier city in the western Sichuan Plain. Although there is no traffic jam in big cities in the morning and evening rush hour, with the popularity of family cars and the limitations of urban parking spaces, driving out of the city often encounters the embarrassment of robbing parking spaces, Therefore, more people prefer to travel lightly with green and environmentally friendly vehicles such as electric bikes. However, the author has added several electric vehicles of traditional brands, which are broken or lost, and can be regarded as an old driver. However, the appearance design of traditional electric vehicles that has been criticized for many years has not changed significantly. In addition to the time-saving and labor-saving travel, it does not appeal to the driving desire of the younger generation.

In June of last year, the advent of the Xiaoniu electric N1, which was born on the Internet, from creative design to scientific intelligence, from appearance to driving experience, completely aroused the public's new understanding of electric vehicles, although there were still some imperfections. What is more gratifying is that, finally, under the guidance of the electric vehicle revolution wave launched by Niudian Technology, the traditional domestic electric vehicle industry, which is still unmoved, has finally realized some threats, and now it seems that it has begun to change its products from appearance to details.

Of course, the focus of this article is to share with you the new product Xiaoniu Electric M1 launched in April this year after Niudian Technology experienced a year of market tests and technology precipitation. According to the official press conference, this is a new product that is lighter, better looking and more intelligent, but unfortunately, the price has not brought much surprise to everyone because of the reduction of body proportion. Although there are four options from 3299, the current main urban version and power version are completely at the same price as the previous N1.

It is worth affirming that the Maverick M1, which takes the first place in appearance, has more youthful and beautiful colors such as yellow and blue in color matching, and the choice of five colors has become more. The factors that directly affect the price range between different versions, in my opinion, are mainly reflected in the endurance and motor power. The difference in details is nothing more than the difference in the battery cell brand, instrument panel and paint materials. However, the author suggests that we hope to experience the intelligent improvement of M1, and comprehensively consider at least the M1C urban version of 3999 yuan as the starting point, This is also the version of this experience of the author of this article. Thank Lei Feng.com Love to play computer games This trial opportunity provided by the channel.

|Unpacking

Although we had made full preparations before, when the real logistics company delivered the calf M1 to us, we were still shocked by the huge packaging carton and heavy weight. As an electric car mainly sold on the Internet, I believe many people are worried about transportation protection. In fact, there is a set of fixed wooden frame in the carton to firmly frame the calf. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a claw hammer in advance. In addition, the protection of details, including the film covering of the front and rear lamp sets and the dashboard when leaving the factory, as well as the cushion and handle covers, were handled very carefully.

Although taking out the calf does not need the help of two powerful people, the whole process is also time-consuming. Considering that the calf is safe in front of us, I believe anyone will bear it. In addition to the electric vehicle, there is also an important paper box full of accessories in the large box. The left and right rear-view mirrors, the front baffle, the spare remote key, the certificate of quality, the warranty card, the charger and the wrench tools are packed in the box in an orderly manner. It is said that the important reason is that the inner lining of the box cover also has the QR code for scanning and downloading the mobile phone management APP and binding the exclusive QR code of Xiaoniu Electric.

Fortunately, the only parts of the car that need to be assembled by yourself are the rear-view mirror and front baffle, which can be done in a few minutes with the wrench and screwdriver provided with the car.

|Appearance details

For an excellent product, first of all, the appearance design will occupy the first opportunity of user recognition, among which the first impression about the appearance is particularly important. This time, Niudian Technology also invited the former BMW designer to personally design the Xiaoniu electric M1, so it seems that there is such a striking work. In the opinion of the author, the Xiaoniu M1 is simple and exquisite, and the integrated streamlined waistline is very impressive. The most important thing is that even passers-by who do not know Xiaoniu can not help but stop to take a closer look. During the road experience, they received many eye-catching gifts, and also heard a lot of praise of "this electric car is very beautiful".

So, as a smaller and lighter calf M1, what are the changes in appearance, size and weight. At present, the length, width and height of the four versions of M1 are 1640mm * 657mm * 1099mm, and the wheelbase is 1150mm. Compared with the previous version of N1, it has become much shorter and leaner. Of course, in other words, this size is more suitable for single person driving. If two people are forced to squeeze from the maximum load of 100kg, it is not impossible, but comfort and safety are definitely out of the question. In addition, due to the difference in cell capacity and other aspects of the four versions of M1, there is still a slight difference of 1 kg and 2 kg between the adjacent versions of the whole vehicle weight. For example, the weight of the M1C urban version is 57 kg, but you should know that the weight of N1, which is the same as the urban version, is 78.7 kg.

The front face of the "angel eye" with family characteristics makes Xiaoniu Electric highly recognizable. The ring LED daytime running lights that are always on are naturally an addition to both appearance and safety. This new M1 is perfectly inherited. Of course, there are still some improvements and improvements, such as a row of three silicon substrate LED light sets placed in the annular LED daytime running light, the middle one is responsible for the low beam, and the two high beams on both sides, which complement the visual impact and sense of technology of the lens glass. At the same time, M1 also brings forward the avant-garde design of light sensing automatic headlights and high beam lights while retaining low beam lights.

The LED steering light of calf M1 adopts the embedded design. Normally, when the steering light is not turned on, the steering light placed under the brake handle is not obvious. When the light is turned on, the steering light that emits high brightness yellow light is very alert and obvious.

The integrated dashboard is another embodiment of the process of personal intelligence of Xiaoniu M1. It not only enhances the protection against rain and dust, but also brings an intuitive and cool use experience, whether it is the HTN screen of M1lite Youth Edition and M1C Urban Edition, or the FSTN full view LCD screen of M1S Power Edition and M1Pro Top Edition, combined with energy-saving cold light sources. For the content displayed on the digital screen, compared with the pointer type instrument screen of most traditional electric vehicles, the author believes that the most practical is the accurate percentage of electricity. In the past, the remaining mileage can only be estimated roughly by mileage and pointer. At the same time, the time display function of Maverick's built-in GPS automatic timing in the upper left corner is also very practical.

In addition to the LCD digital display screen in the center of the entire dashboard, there is a status indicator lamp with hidden design on the top of the screen, which is responsible for reminding the turning light, near and far lights and the open status of parking mode P. In addition, one more LED steering aid light with white stripe light has been added to both sides of the edge. As for the light sensor that is not obvious when looking closely, it is used to complete the corresponding light sensing detection function with the automatic headlamp mentioned above. The actual measurement sensitivity is quite high.

The control area near the left and right handlebars adopts a symmetrical design, and there are simple icons on or beside the corresponding buttons to distinguish and identify. Among them, the design highlight worth mentioning is that the near and far light button supports the flash of the passing car; Turn signal lamp supports automatic return; Constant speed cruise is also a function only available on high configuration vehicles. The cruise status can be immediately released by accelerating or braking; In addition, the automatic A gear of the headlamp switch, together with the light sensor and headlamp set, has contributed to a complete set of automatic light sensing headlamp system; The addition of the start button and emergency double flash is completely a design process following the trend of automobile, which also confirms the inertial thinking of the former BMW designers. However, this design, whether cool or safety considerations, is quite pleasing to consumers.

In addition, M1 of rear-view mirror has also been changed from the retro round type of N1 to the current mainstream near oval type, which has brought a wider visual area and naturally improved driving safety.

The key hole of the calf M1 is designed ingeniously. Insert the key and turn it left to open the storage box under the mount (in fact, it is almost occupied by the battery, of course, this is later). Turn it right to open the power supply. After inserting the key, press it down directly and turn it left to open the handlebar lock. The function integration is quite high. The hook in the middle near the key hole is helpless and very practical in the case of the overstretched storage box and the absence of the standard rear trunk. On the left side, the same USB charging port with dust cover as the previous Maverick N1 has been reserved, but the ease of use of this port has been greatly reduced after the removal of the storage compartment.

Maybe it's really an electric motor designed for women, but the width of the calf M1 foot pedal is very narrow, which is just 37 yards from the foot length of the sister paper. Therefore, if the male compatriots come to ride, they usually have to choose the eight character foot position, and the picture can be made up. Of course, in terms of details, there are fine anti slip teeth on the pedal, which is still quite humanistic.

As for the cushion part related to wear resistance and long-term riding comfort, it should be said that the cushion with 45mm thick PU skin+high-density foam foam lining used in M1 is not only easy to care, but also soft elasticity makes riding more comfortable. In terms of details, the armrest design on both sides of the cushion can be easily used in the garage or in the narrow corridor light scene when moving cars.

The entire tail design of the Xiaoniu electric M1 also has several points that can be circled. Among them, the semi enclosed integrated full LED tail lamp set is very special, and its brightness and visual angle are obviously better than those of traditional electric vehicles; At the top of the license plate, a small spotlight has been deliberately added. At night, it looks like a car license plate light; In addition, lengthening the cornice of the rear fender can prevent mud water from rising in rainy days.

In addition, the author would like to say that the tail lamp set is also a luxurious reference to the model design of the car. The top row is the high mounted brake lamp, the lower wide U-shaped lamp set is the night side marker tail lamp, and the rear turn signal lamps are on both sides.

As you can see, the storage box where the foreshadowing words were buried in the front is hopeless, but it is still possible to put two cans of drinks beside it to relieve the summer heat.

Here are a few details by the way. First, the Xiaoniu M1 adopts a specially designed detachable power supply plug. For users who don't like to screw the battery home for charging, they can easily find power in the parking garage for charging; Secondly, considering that the battery accounts for 1/3 of the car price, a metal lock with anti-theft chain is reserved; In addition, the installation hole location is also considered for the subsequent owners who want to install the tailbox. However, the author has seen that the price of the original tailbox in the same color series in the official mall is still a little expensive, and the key point is that it is still sold out.

Finally, let's talk about the battery of Xiaoniu M1. It is said that the battery of Xiaoniu M1 adopts a lithium battery pack design similar to Tesla's, the shell is made of aluminum alloy, and the internal battery cell is still the same as the previous N1. It uses the original 18650 battery pack imported from Japanese and Korean first-line brands. Taking the author's M1C urban version as an example, the battery weighs 7.8kg. Because of its detachable portable design, Therefore, even the sister paper can be easily unscrewed.

|Lighting system

In the eyes of others, the entire lighting system of the Maverick M1 is very cool. Whether it is the angel eye+eye-catching double flashing in the front, or the LED side lights in the rear and the license plate lights in the details, it should be said that the probability of being watched like a charming fairy in the night when wandering in the city is quite high, and for safety reasons, it can also serve as a good reminder for the coming cars and pedestrians in front.

▲ Calf M1 low beam open irradiation effect

▲ Calf M1 high beam open irradiation effect

Of course, if you are walking on a suburban road without street lamp auxiliary lighting, it is obviously a test of the real strength of electric vehicle headlights. After all, this is a top priority for driving safety at night. The above two pictures are the real photos of the calf M1 after the low beam and high beam modes are turned on. The author tries to set the exposure duration of the camera to be close to the real environment effect observed by the naked eye. Finally, the author believes that the floodlight of the light spot illuminating the front environment after M1 turns on the headlamp is still uniform, the fan radiation range of the lower beam and the upper beam can basically reach the official nominal 40 ° and 30 °, the irradiation distance of the lower beam is estimated to be relatively clear within 15-20 meters, and the upper beam can basically be seen from 40-50 meters away, but in terms of brightness, it is not much better than traditional electric vehicles, However, there is still a gap between the motorcycle and the oil burning motorcycle. If it can be upgraded and replaced like N1 in the future, it would be best to have a third-party LED light board.

In the light part, the author finally wants to use the official DM diagram about the keyhole LED light to mention the intimate design of the night car search and key hole of the Xiaoniu M1. Different from the only lock and unlock keys of the traditional electric car remote key, the red ox head sign in the middle of the Xiaoniu M1 remote key is actually a function key for one key car search. After pressing the button, the M1 emergency double flashing, instrument panel turn light The driving light and the LED fill light above the key hole will light up, allowing the user to lock the parking position of the vehicle in a dark environment far away, and quickly and accurately find the key hole to insert the key to start the vehicle. Indeed, these thoughtful details go beyond the conservative thinking of traditional electric vehicles.

|Performance and safety

Those who are familiar with Mavericks should know that their electric vehicles have been using customized brushless permanent magnet motors from BOSCH of Germany since N1. As for BOSCH, whether it is a key auto accessory or a traditional electric tool, it enjoys a high reputation internationally and is also a guarantee of quality and performance.

Similarly, this Maverick M1 uses BOSCH high-performance customized motor controlled by FOC precision vector control system. According to the power division of different versions, the author uses 600W power motor in this M1C urban version. The official data is 85N. m torque and 11 ° climbing performance. It is worth mentioning that if the top version of M1Pro is selected, the motor power will double to 1200W, The 11N. m torque and the maximum 15 ° climbing capacity are indeed quite powerful, but the price of more than 2000 pieces is also quite specific.

When it comes to power output, we have to talk about the speed (and passion) of the Xiaoniu M1. We all know that the maximum speed of electric vehicles in China is expressly stipulated not to exceed 20km/h. Of course, many traditional electric vehicles still do not follow the conventional licensing acquiescence to get rid of the restrictions on the speed of electric vehicles after leaving the factory by jumping wires and other means. The author has seen electric vehicles that have played chicken blood and run more than 50 yards on the road. The protagonist of this article, Xiaoniu M1, did strictly control the speed at first gear (energy-saving gear) 10km/h and second gear (power gear) 20km/h when leaving the factory. If young people can tolerate the tortoise speed, they can naturally give up. But as far as the author knows, in fact, almost all users who bought Xiaoniu electric cars will eventually choose to crack and increase the speed. As for the method, there are a lot of people searching online, The author will not repeat here.

It has to be said that the cracked Xiaoniu M1 finally gave full play to its real strength. Although the first gear output is very smooth and stable, the speed has been increased to a maximum of 20km/h. After the second gear is opened, there is a clear sense of pushing back, which not only increases the speed a lot, but also the most important thing is that the maximum speed can reach 42km/h when the power is high, even when the power is gradually reduced, It can also guarantee a speed of 40km/h. It is really much more powerful when riding. In addition, the author was surprised to find that in addition to providing a stable and surging power output, the BOSCH motor's working voice is extremely low even at the highest speed, which can even be described as quiet and whispering.

For this urban version of the Maverick M1, the author tried to get close to life and found an underground garage with a steep slope, and asked Hijiyou to participate in the demonstration. The gradient of the underground garage should be more than 20 degrees through visual inspection, which of course is far beyond the official 11 ° climbing performance indicator of the version of the Maverick.

Finally, the author's Jiyou and two dogs, weighing nearly 200 kg, opened the underground garage easily and smoothly, which can be demonstrated from the video clip above.

The performance is satisfactory, but the safety braking aspect cannot be ignored. The Xiaoniu M1 adopts the brake mode of front disc and rear drum. The front wheel is a 180 mm diameter perforated disc brake disc equipped with one-way dual piston calipers, and the rear wheel is an adjustable traditional drum brake. Compared with the N1 dual disc brake design, it may make people doubt that M1 has been reduced. However, because the speed of the electric vehicle itself is not fast, and considering the lightweight of the body, there is no obvious difference in braking on such an electric vehicle, whether it is the front disc and rear drum or the dual disc brake. As for the braking effect, the official reference data is that when driving at a constant speed of 20km/h, the braking distance on dry roads is 1.8m, and the braking distance on wet roads is 2.5m. However, the actual situation will also be considered by the comprehensive factors such as wind speed, road material and load capacity, so the results may vary somewhat within the allowable range.

By the way, the front and rear tires of the Xiaoniu M1 are 10 inch CST (Zhengxin) vacuum tires, which is also an old brand used more frequently in domestic cars. The skid resistance and wear resistance are both good.

Talking about safety, the author would like to talk about the aluminum titanium alloy intelligent side brace (foot brace) used by the Maverick M1 alone. I believe that when riding, there have been times when I forgot to kick up the side brace at a moment because I was in a hurry. In fact, it would be more dangerous to cause a rollover accident when passing a sharp turn or changing the posture of the car. This time, Xiaoniu M1 thoughtfully adopted the non-contact Hall sensing principle to add intelligent monitoring of the state of the side support and use the P-gear parking mode to control the judgment of whether the vehicle can start, which really greatly improved the safety assurance of riders.

|Shock absorption and trafficability

If an electric vehicle is comfortable to ride, in addition to the structure of the cushion, the key is to focus on the design and configuration of shock absorption. After all, the shock absorption system will play a great role in bumpy roads.

The front fork damping of the Xiaoniu M1 adopts the traditional oil pressure cushioning technology, while the rear damping adopts the mid stay shock absorption technology from the motorcycle platform. The advantage is that the vehicle quality can be controlled lighter, and it is easier to design in the inconspicuous bottom of the body, ensuring that the design of the rear rocker arm looks simple and clean. At the same time, the rear rocker arm, like the side brace, is also made of aluminum titanium alloy, which is not only light and strong, but also has a strong metal texture. The Xiaoniu M1, which benefits from the central cable-stayed shock absorption technology, is really flexible and comfortable when passing through bumpy roads or speed bumps after being placed in the center of gravity.

In addition, the author would like to talk about the trafficability of the calf M1. Thanks to its maximum ground clearance of 126mm, generally speaking, the horseteeth with a height of more than 10cm can be easily ridden without scratching the chassis.

|Charging and endurance

The battery of Xiaoniu M1 uses 18650 lithium battery pack, and the total capacity of the battery of M1C urban version is 20Ah, and the voltage is 48V. In terms of details, it is worth mentioning that an LED power status indicator is designed near the label of the battery, and you can know the remaining power of this battery by pressing the key just like you can check the power of a mobile power supply. The standard charger uses a metal shell to achieve passive cooling. After the fan design is canceled, you can enjoy quiet at home at night. Of course, it takes 6 hours to fully charge the official data. Later, you can separately purchase a fast charge of up to 80% of the power in 2 hours, but the price is unknown.

In the end, it is impossible to exhaust the battery before testing the charging time. When taking the battery, the remaining power is 5%, and it takes 363 minutes to fully charge the battery, which is not inconsistent with the official data. In addition, it is worth noting that the power consumption of fully charging the battery is 0.89 kwh. Everyone knows that 1 kwh means 1 kilowatt hour of power consumption. Naturally, the power consumption of fully charging the battery is less than 1 kwh each time.

The voltage measured after full charge is 53.5V, and the voltage gradually decays to the standard value during use. This is why the cracked calf can run up to 42km/h at high charge, and then can only maintain at 40km/h.

As for the endurance of the Xiaoniu M1, because the battery capacity and motor power of different configurations are different, the official endurance data are different. For example, the official endurance data of the top configuration version is 120km, while the endurance of the author's M1C urban version is 80km. Of course, the endurance in actual use will be affected by light, speed, wind, slope, road material, braking frequency and other aspects. The measured data of this M1C urban version after the author cracked is that the power consumption is 2% per 1.3km at a speed of 20km/h, At a speed of 40km/h, 2% of power is consumed every 1km, and the average endurance from full power to exhausted is about 50 kilometers. Although there is a certain gap from the official theoretical value, it is reasonable. Another detail is that when 14% of the battery is left, the maximum speed will be limited to 20 km/h until the battery is completely exhausted. However, when the battery is above 14% of the battery, cruise at constant speed is not subject to this restriction.

|APP application

Nowadays, if there is no APP for any product that is linked to intelligence, it is too shy to mix. Naturally, Maverick also has its own APP, an app called Maverick Steward. At present, it supports two mainstream operating systems, ios and Android. At the beginning, it was mentioned that it needs to scan code to download and bind.

In fact, the main interface is divided into six layers. The top layer provides the weather and message center where the vehicle is located; The second layer displays the GPS and GSM signal status of the vehicle. You need to click the vehicle to pop up a small window to display. It can be seen that the Maverick M1 also has a built-in GPS chip and SIM communication card; The third layer is the vehicle locking status (remote unlocking is not available at present), and the driving mileage of the day; The fourth layer is the remaining electricity and estimated remaining mileage of the calf; The fifth layer is the real-time location map of the current position of the vehicle, and can be opened to view; The bottom layer is the navigation menu of vehicle condition, service, butter and personal information.

In the main interface, after selecting to view the remaining power of the calf, the detailed battery status information will pop up, including the current power consumption, temperature, times of charging, and other information. It is very thoughtful to list some tips on battery use and maintenance, so that users can extend the life of the battery. After all, this battery accounts for one third of the car price. In addition, if the battery is taken away for home charging or stolen, information will be pushed to the bound mobile phone. As for the message reminder, we should pick up the insufficient places along the way. At present, after the car is locked, the car will be pulled away more than 100 meters or the battery will be taken away before the message alarm is pushed, rather than the alarm message will be sent when the car is touched. This was confirmed by calling customer service. The cookie smart bike that the author played before will immediately push a message to the user's mobile phone when touching the vehicle. In fact, Mavericks can learn from this aspect.

After entering from the driving mileage of the vehicle on the main interface, you can view the driving mileage and average speed of the vehicle by day, week and month. It is more practical to further view the daily driving history, and even read the driving route of the day. However, it is conducive to anti-theft tracking and also exposes the problem of whether users' privacy is disclosed.

Of course, as long as the best car is running on the road, it will inevitably encounter a day of failure. Small problems can be solved by themselves, and major problems can only be reported for repair. After one year of improvement, the author was surprised to find that even our fourth tier small cities have service outlets. As for technical strength and service level, it is unknown.

The service page also provides a query module for self-help maintenance. The author has a rough look at the corresponding self-help maintenance measures for common and possible failures. For those places with strong hands-on ability or failure, it is convenient to check and solve them by themselves. In addition, the service page also provides a submission module for vehicle ownership transfer and theft report. However, for theft, I believe that the best the authorities can do is to help locate or lock the vehicle. In order to expect compensation, they still have to pay extra for the service of Niuyou Bao.

Like most product ecosystems, Xiaoniu's app also provides a fan exchange platform such as "butter". It is popular to show off beautiful pictures and experience. It is said that this year, the official will also focus on building a fan culture. Let's wait and see how the effect will be.

|Write at the end

As an electric car brand growing up relying on the Internet, we have reason to believe that the Xiaoniu M1 is the most aesthetically designed and technologically advanced electric car so far, because in addition to its charming waist line, it has a very high-end LED light set for the whole car, which also includes the classic family style "angel eye" daytime lights, At the same time, the most important power output is the reliable BOSCH high-performance customized motor.

In terms of the intelligent process, the Xiaoniu M1 spared no effort to join a series of cross-border designs that traditional electric vehicles simply can't imagine, such as the innovative cold light source intelligent LED digital display instrument screen, automatic light sensitive headlights, parking emergency double flash, automatic return steering lights, Hall sensing side brace, cruise control, and other value-added services such as anti-theft and robbery accident insurance, Although no one expects their car to be stolen, the promise of compensation for theft and robbery of the whole vehicle has reassured Xiaoniu users.

Of course, as a newborn calf, Xiaoniu Electric has rapidly risen from the junior layman in the electric vehicle industry to the vane leading the future development of the industry in just one year. It should be said that on the one hand, it benefits from the butterfly effect of the Internet economy, on the other hand, it also confirms the increasingly obvious demand for new standards and humanistic experience of the current user group. However, taking Xiaoniu M1 as an example, in my opinion, there are still some imperfections. For example, the current APP is not really smart enough in terms of people car interaction; However, the available space sacrificed for lightweight vehicle body has become better than nothing, and users need to spend twice to solve the storage problem; In addition, the cost of achieving the idealistic 120km endurance is too large, whereas the current price of the low version of the Maverick M1 is slightly higher.

In short, the author laughingly believes that there is no technology that can not be copied in the almighty China, and there is a large number of old brand electric vehicle enterprises with years of technology behind Xiaoniu. In terms of strength and research and development, it should not be underestimated. The Internet economy has never lacked innovation, whether it is a concept gimmick or a real bullet, I hope the pace of Mavericks is endless.