As the first pure electric flagship sedan under the Geely Galaxy brand, a
challenging aerodynamic target was set at the early stage of Geely Galaxy E8 for
reducing electric power consumption and improving vehicle range. In response,
the aerodynamic team formulated a detailed development plan and an overall drag
reduction strategy. After conducting numerous loops of simulations and wind
tunnel tests, along with continuous cross-disciplinary communication and
collaboration, a product with outstanding aerodynamic performance was
successfully developed.
During the aerodynamic development of the E8, the primarily utilized steady-state
simulations sometimes revealed significant discrepancies when compared to wind
tunnel test results, particularly in schemes such as the air curtain,
aerodynamic rims, and rear light feature optimizations. Some trends were even
contradictory. Further investigations demonstrated that unsteady simulation
methods captured different flow field information, indicating variations in flow
separation regions and locations compared with steady method, which aligned more
closely with the trends observed in wind tunnel tests. Therefore, employing
transient analysis is recommended to enhance the accuracy of simulations and
provide more reliable guidance for design optimization, especially in areas
affected by flow separation, wheel rotation, and vehicle wake.