In the new energy vehicle market, range-extending technology has been controversial. After all, in essence, the engine equipped with the extended range electric vehicle does not directly participate in driving the vehicle, but when the battery power is too low, the engine charges the power battery and the electric motor drives the vehicle.
Such technology has made many people in the industry complain about "superfluous moves". Volkswagen China CEO Feng Sihan has publicly shelled the range extender electric vehicle is not as environmentally friendly as imagined, is the worst power solution; Weilai Automobile Power Management Vice President Shen Fei has also bluntly said that he is firmly not optimistic about range extended electric vehicles.
But are range extender electric vehicles really that bad?
As one of the representative models of the extended range electric vehicle, the ideal ONE directly hit those industry insiders who sang the decline of range extender technology with the results. The latest data shows that Ideal ONE delivered a total of 11,034 units in March, an increase of 125.2% year-on-year. Since delivery, ideal ONE has delivered 155804 units.
The explosion of the ideal ONE has driven the market for range-extended electric vehicles. So, in addition to the ideal ONE, what other range-extending electric vehicles are worth seeing?
LANDU FREE: Richly configured and luxurious
As the first model of the Lantu brand under Dongfeng Group, the price range is 313,600-36.36 million yuan, in addition to the pure electric model, the range extender model is also very bright.
Lantu FREE central control adopts triple screen design, the biggest highlight is that the screen can be raised and lowered, such as, after getting on the car, the screen will automatically rise; after the driving mode switches to sports, the screen will automatically drop by half, providing a larger field of view for the driver. At the same time, Lantu FREE's seat uses baby-grade skin-friendly fabrics, which brings users a good tactile experience. In addition, the features of adjustable light and dark panoramic canopy, Tanner sound, seat heating/ventilation/massage, etc., vividly express the word "luxury".
In terms of intelligence, Landu FREE is equipped with 9 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, 3 millimeter wave radars and other hardware facilities. Based on this, Landu FREE can realize functions such as ACC adaptive cruise, LKA lane keeping, LCC lane center control, and BSD blind spot monitoring.
In addition to intelligence, in terms of chassis, the Lando FREE series is equipped with a front double wishbone/rear multi-link independent suspension as standard, and the high-end model is also equipped with air suspension. It is worth mentioning that the air suspension can automatically adjust the height according to the road conditions to ensure the comfort of the passengers in the car.
Power part, the extended range version of Lantu FREE uses a combination of 1.5T turbo range extender and dual motors, the maximum power reaches 510kW, the peak torque is 1040N·m, and the official announcement is 0-100km acceleration time is 4.5S, and the data alone is comparable to supercar.
Comments: The biggest highlight of Landu FREE is that it is equipped with air suspension, which makes it show good competitiveness in the price range of 300,000 yuan. Since its delivery in August last year, the sales volume of Lando FREE in 2021 has reached 6431 units, but the sales volume of Lando FREE in the first quarter of this year was 3693 units, showing a weak state. As for the price, under the wave of new energy price increases, Lantu officially announced that pure electric models will be raised by 10,000 yuan from May 1, and the extended range models will not be affected. This also means that under the stimulation of price increases, the FREE extended version of Lantu that has not increased in price may receive a batch of orders.
QC M5: Huawei's system is the selling point
Qjie M5 is the first model launched by AITO, priced at 24.98-31.98 million yuan, such a price is not very cheap in the field of new energy vehicles, so how about the real car?
To say that the biggest highlight of the M5 is undoubtedly Huawei's HarmonyOS smart cockpit. The 15.6-inch central control screen has built-in Hongmeng HarmonyOS car machine system, as long as the same account is logged in, the mobile phone and the car machine can be interconnected, and the navigation on the mobile phone and the unfinished drama can be seamlessly connected. At the same time, the car machine system can also connect smart watches, remote smart homes, etc.
It is worth mentioning that the voice interaction system equipped with the central control screen can realize functions such as instant speaking and recognition of multiple dialects, and supports continuous dialogue up to 60S.
In other configurations, the M5 series is equipped with L2-level driver assistance system as standard, which can realize functions such as full-speed adaptive cruise and automatic parking.
To measure a car, in addition to the configuration, it also depends on the power. The power system of the Q&I M5 adopts an extended-range design, in which the maximum power of the motor equipped with it can reach 365 kW, the peak torque is 675N·m, and the acceleration time of 0-100km is 4.4S, and the book data is quite good. In terms of battery life, the M5 is equipped with a 40kWh ternary lithium battery pack, and the pure electric mileage reaches 150km. The official claims that the endurance can reach 1195km in the state of full power and full fuel, alleviating the user's mileage anxiety.
Comments: Although consumers are not familiar with Xilix and are even strangers to the AITO brand, the M5, as the only new energy vehicle currently sold in Huawei malls and stores, has also greatly enhanced consumer awareness and trust. Coupled with the labels of intelligent high, strong power and long endurance on the M5, it is still quite competitive in the 250,000-300,000-level medium-sized range extender SUV.
Skyline ME5: The interior is simple but not monotonous
If you think that the price of Lantu FREE and Q&I M5 is too expensive, then the sky ME5 with a price range of 149,990-159,900 yuan can be considered.
Completed by a team of designers led by former Porsche designer Hakan Saracoglu, the Skyrim ME5 continues the Design Style of the Skyline family, with rich lines and angular overall lines.
Shifting the gaze to the inside of the car, the interior layout of the Skyline ME5 is relatively simple. The Skyline ME5 is equipped with a 14.8-inch display that integrates most of the functions in the car, and the full LCD dashboard measures 10.25 inches. The vehicle-machine system is based on the self-developed iMA intelligent digital architecture and has the ability to upgrade OTA. In addition, skyline ME5 is also equipped with intelligent AI assistants, face recognition, intelligent welcome light interaction, remote summoning and other functions.
In addition to these, Skyline ME5 also claims to have L2+ level auxiliary driving functions, which can realize ICA integrated high-speed intelligent cruise, fully automatic parking and other functions, which greatly enhances the driving experience of users in the era of intelligent driving.
In terms of power, the Skyline ME5 is equipped with an extended range power system consisting of a 1.5L engine + electric motor. Among them, the maximum power of the matched motor is 150 kW and the maximum torque is 310 N·m. It is equipped with a ternary lithium battery pack with a capacity of 30.6kWh, a pure electric mileage of 155km at NEDC, a comprehensive endurance of 1012km in full oil and electricity, and a fuel consumption of only 4.9L/100km in the lowest state of charge.
Comments: In terms of product strength, compared with pure electric models at the same price, the oilable and electric energy replenishment method and the cruising range of 1012km are the advantages of The Skyline ME5. However, as a niche brand, Tianji Automobile cannot be ignored because of the weak brand strength, low recognition, and few sales outlets, and its sales volume is also dismal to many sales statistics. If you consider this car, it is best to confirm that there are after-sales service outlets in the local area to solve the worries of using the car.
Conclusion: Existence is reasonable, the characteristics of extended range electric vehicles can be oilable and electric, solving the user's range anxiety, more and more car companies have launched range extended electric vehicles, this market is gradually activated.
At the same time, under the wave of price increases in the new energy market, compared with pure electric products, extended-range electric vehicles are less affected by subsidies and the battery configuration is less, the price increase is relatively low, and its cost-effective advantage is more obvious. However, there are fewer models to choose from for extended range electric vehicles, and if there is a plan to buy a car in the near future, you may wish to combine your own car needs and budget to compare and test drive.