Range-extended electric vehicles have recently become popular in the automotive industry. First, Changan Deep Blue SL03 launched a pure electric version and a hydrogen-electric version, and also launched a range-extended version. Recently, the Nezha S extended-range version and zero-run C11 extended-range version also appeared in the new car declaration catalog of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is said that pure electricity is the ultimate trend of new energy vehicles in the future, so why are there more and more extended-range electric vehicles recently?
Range-extended electric vehicles are ushering in an explosion
The ideal was the first to play with the extended range. Although the industry was not optimistic about the extended-range electric vehicle when the ideal ONE was first launched, it believed that the extended-range model with a generator on its back had no technical content, but the outstanding sales still made the ideal ONE a phenomenal product.
This year, Ideal successively launched the L9 and L8 models featuring range-extending technology. The L9 has only been on the market for 72 hours, and the order volume has exceeded 30,000. In October this year, the sales volume of Ideal Automobile was 10,052 units, a year-on-year increase of 31.4%. From January to October this year, a total of 96,979 units were delivered, which is relatively stable among new power brands.
After the ideal, AITO asked the world to continue to heat up the heat of extended-range electric vehicles. Wenjie has launched a total of three models, the M5 extended range version, the M5 pure electric version, and the M7. Except for the M5 pure electric version, the main models of Wenjie are still in the extended range.
From the perspective of sales data, Wenjie announced that the sales volume in October was 12,018, which exceeded 10,000 for three consecutive months. Among them, the most popular models are still the M5 extended range version and the M7. Among them, the M7 was released 4 hours later. The volume quickly exceeded 20,000 units.
In addition to Ideal and Wenjie, Lantu and Changan Shenlan have also launched extended-range models. In addition, the extended-range version of Nezha S and the extended-range version of Zero Run C11 will also be officially launched in the near future. It can be seen that extended-range electric vehicles are still quite popular. Recognized by consumers, and there is a further growth trend.
The advantages at this stage are irreplaceable
Compared with pure electric vehicles, the biggest advantage of extended-range electric vehicles is that in addition to pure electric driving, they can also use oil to generate electricity to increase the cruising range and solve the battery life anxiety of pure electric vehicles.
The extended-range electric vehicle is a kind of gasoline-electric hybrid solution. The principle is to equip an engine in addition to the power battery, but the engine does not directly participate in the power output but uses the engine to generate electricity. When the battery power is sufficient, it can run on pure electricity. When the power is insufficient, the engine starts, which can directly drive the electric motor or charge the battery.
At present, the pure electric cruising range of mainstream extended-range electric vehicles is about 200 kilometers, and the comprehensive cruising range is about 1,200 kilometers. For example, the CLTC pure electric cruising range of Ideal L9 is 215 kilometers, and the CLTC comprehensive cruising range is 1315 kilometers.
On weekdays, it can be charged once a week to meet the needs of commuting to and from get off work. It can also be refueled directly during holidays or long-distance travel and can be used as an oil truck. At the same time, it can also solve the embarrassment of discounted battery life in winter.
Generally speaking, the advantage of extended-range electric vehicles is that they can enjoy the quietness and acceleration performance of pure electric vehicles without mileage anxiety. At the moment when there is no breakthrough in power battery technology and 800V high-voltage fast charging is not yet popular, range-extended electric vehicles still have their own unique advantages.
Which is better, an extended program or a plug-in hybrid?
According to the latest data released by the Passenger Federation, from January to October this year, the cumulative sales of pure electric vehicles were 3.359 million, a year-on-year increase of 92%; the cumulative sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles were 1.072 million, a year-on-year increase of 178%. The growth rate of plug-in hybrid vehicles is twice that of pure electric vehicles.
In October this year, the sales of pure electric vehicles were 398,000, a year-on-year increase of 55.2; the sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles were 159,000, a year-on-year increase of 156.3%. The growth rate of plug-in hybrid vehicles is three times that of pure electric vehicles.
From these data, we can see that although the absolute sales volume of pure electric vehicles is still higher than that of plug-in hybrid vehicles, the growth rate of sales of range-extending/plug-in hybrid vehicles this year is significantly faster than that of pure electric vehicles. The demand for plug-in hybrid vehicles is increasing.
At present, mainstream hybrid technologies are mainly divided into plug-in hybrid and range-extended. We found that new power manufacturers prefer extended-range technology, while traditional car manufacturers prefer to use plug-in hybrid technology. Why does this phenomenon occur?
Technically speaking, plug-in hybrid technology is more complicated than extended range. The engine of the plug-in hybrid system can not only use the engine to charge the battery but also directly drive the vehicle. For example, BYD DM-i, Honda IMMD, Great Wall Lemon Hybrid, and Geely Raytheon Hybrid System are all typical plug-in hybrid systems with series-parallel structures.
However, the plug-in hybrid is essentially a traditional fuel vehicle. Its purpose is to use fuel to assist the motor and then optimize the driving experience on the basis of fuel. The essence of the extended-range program is an electric vehicle, which uses the engine to burn oil to generate electricity so that the electric vehicle can optimize the cruising range on this basis. So this is one of the reasons why traditional manufacturers like to use plug-in hybrids, and new power manufacturers like to use extended programs.
Of course, another important reason is that the structure of the plug-in hybrid system is more complicated, and the design and manufacture are more difficult. Therefore, generally, only more experienced traditional manufacturers are capable of developing plug-in hybrid systems. The structure of the extended range is relatively simple, and there are mature solutions to choose from, so new power manufacturers prefer to use the extended range. However, the extended range has high fuel consumption and loud noise during feeding and driving. The disadvantages cannot be ignored.