The cars known as extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), a subcategory of plug-in hybrids, are equipped with a small internal-combustion engine that generates additional power to charge the battery when needed, in addition to being able to be charged via a power cable.
These cars can typically travel as far as 1,000km on a single charge and are about 10 per cent cheaper than pure-electric alternatives, according to Davis Zhang, a senior executive at Suzhou Hazardtex, a supplier of specialised batteries. That can amount to an average of 30,000 yuan (US$4,220) in savings for a single purchase, he added.
All major EV assemblers in China, except for Shanghai-based Nio, have either developed EREVs or announced plans to do so to address rising consumer demand.
“It is a big twist in China’s EV sector because extended range technology was once shunned by all major carmakers a decade ago for its poor market outlook,” said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. “Most companies are now taking a middle road in developing EREVs due to their rising popularity among Chinese consumers.”
Pure-electric cars are still likely to be the future of the industry, he added.
Carmakers delivered 623,000 EREVs in mainland China last year, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers – a 173 per cent jump from a year earlier.
They accounted for 2.9 per cent of total electric cars sold last year. Last month, the 114,000 EREVs delivered in China made up 10.2 per cent of the EV market.
