Have the extended-range vehicles that were once heavily criticized suddenly become coveted? Li Auto is selling like hotcakes, and Leapmotor is following suit; BYD is reportedly set to enter the market.

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Recently, Li Auto and Leapmotor separately launched new range-extending models: the Li Auto L7 and the Leapmotor C11 Range-Extender Edition. Among these, the Li Auto L7—the fourth model from Li Auto—continues to adopt the range-extending powertrain architecture; meanwhile, the Leapmotor C11 Range-Extender Edition is Leapmotor’s first range-extending model—previously, all models in the C11 series were purely electric vehicles.

Zero Run C11 Range-Extended Version. Image source: Zero Run Automobile.

According to incomplete statistics, numerous automakers in the Chinese market—including Li Auto, Avatr, Deepal, Leapmotor, Seres, and Geely—are now deploying range-extended electric vehicles. Moreover, reports indicate that BYD’s premium brand, Yangwang, will also adopt a range-extended architecture for its first model, the U8. For a time, the range-extended approach seems poised for a comeback.

On February 7, Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, even stated bluntly on Weibo: “If BYD, Geely, and Changan—the top three automakers in terms of sales—start adopting range-extending electric vehicles, a certain company’s marketing strategy claiming that range extension is outdated can be put to rest.”

As range-extender solutions gain increasing acceptance—and even endorsement—from more and more automakers, the share of plug-in hybrid vehicles (including range-extender, DM-i, and other technological approaches) in China’s overall new-energy vehicle sales has become increasingly significant. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, in December last year, China’s new-energy vehicle market saw sales of approximately 713,000 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 47.3%. Among these, pure-electric vehicle sales reached about 523,000 units, up 31.6% year-on-year; while plug-in hybrid vehicle sales totaled roughly 191,000 units, surging by 119.2% over the same period.

The ideal is no longer fighting alone—has the time finally come for range-extender solutions to really shine?

The “China Range-Extended Electric Vehicle Industry Development Report” recently released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers points out that, as the development of new-energy vehicles progresses and the advantages of the range-extender technology become increasingly evident, more and more domestic automakers are starting to deploy range-extender products. In 2022, domestic sales of range-extended electric vehicles continued to rise. It is projected that by 2025, sales of range-extended electric vehicles could exceed 500,000 units.

However, as the market continues to expand, discussions within the industry about range-extender technology have never ceased. Many industry insiders believe that range-extender electric vehicles do not fully utilize clean energy and generally offer only mediocre fuel efficiency, making them a “backward” technological solution in the era of new-energy vehicles. In their view, even as a type of hybrid technology, the range-extender approach represents no real technological advancement.

“There’s no doubt that range extenders represent a step backward for China’s hybrid technology,” Li Ruifeng, then CEO of WEY, commented after Huawei launched the AITO M7 in July 2022. “At its core, the range extender is essentially a series plug-in hybrid—energy can only be transmitted via electricity as the medium. The heavier the vehicle’s workload, the greater the energy loss, especially when driving steadily at medium to high speeds, where efficiency suffers significantly.”

It is understood that Great Wall Motors, the parent company of WEY, also launched its own hybrid technology—known as “Lemon Hybrid DHT”—in 2021. According to Li Ruifeng, “The Lemon Hybrid DHT is essentially a ‘series-parallel plug-in hybrid.’ Compared to range-extending hybrids, it features an additional parallel system, enabling optimal energy efficiency across all scenarios and at all speeds.”

However, with several manufacturers recently launching range-extended electric vehicles, the range-extension approach is showing signs of a “comeback.” There are even reports that Yangwang, BYD’s premium brand, will adopt the range-extension solution for its first new-energy off-road vehicle—the Yangwang U8. Nevertheless, BYD told Times Finance that it was unaware of this development.

Li Xiang stated frankly: “If BYD, Geely, and Changan—already among the top three in auto sales—start adopting range-extending electric vehicles, a certain company’s marketing plans touting the backwardness of range-extending technology can be put on hold.” As for the series-parallel hybrid architecture, Li Xiang also noted, “Front-wheel drive is best suited for parallel configuration; for four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive vehicles, series configuration is the better choice.”

In fact, Li Auto has played a pivotal role in the growing popularity of range-extended electric vehicles.

Li Auto first launched its flagship range-extended electric vehicle, the Li ONE, in 2018. According to data provided by Li Auto, this model has achieved remarkably strong sales performance since its debut. In 2021 alone, sales of the Li ONE reached as many as 91,300 units. In 2022, Li Auto’s newly introduced models—the Li L9 and Li L8—continued the strong market performance of the Li ONE, propelling Li Auto to become the first among the “NIO, Xpeng, and Li Auto” trio to exceed 20,000 vehicles delivered in a single month.

From the consumer’s perspective, although range-extended electric vehicles rely to some extent on gasoline, they can meet both short-distance electric and long-distance gasoline-powered travel needs, combining the advantages of both electric and conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. As a result, range-extended electric vehicles have become increasingly popular in the market over the past two years, and other domestic automakers have also begun adopting this range-extender approach.

Regarding the launch of the C11 range-extender model, Zhu Jiangming, Chairman of Leapmotor, stated that for users, a usage scenario characterized by "primarily electric and supplemented by gasoline" offers greater practical value. Moreover, range-extender vehicles have fewer components, which further enhances their technological reliability.

According to an incomplete tally by Times Finance, in addition to Li Auto and Leapmotor, there are currently more than ten range-extended electric vehicles launched by several Chinese automakers, including Seres, Dongfeng Group, Changan Automobile, Geely Automobile, Leapmotor, Neta Auto, and HiPhi. Among these, the Changan Deepal SL03 and the Seres AITO series have each achieved monthly sales exceeding 1,000 units.

“The range-extender solution can effectively meet users’ driving needs while having a relatively low technological barrier, making it well-suited for the early stages of brand development,” said Ji Xuehong, Director of the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center at Northern Industrial University, to Times Finance. “This is a key reason why range-extended electric vehicles have gained recognition from both automakers and consumers.”

As range-extended vehicles gain popularity, plug-in hybrid models are experiencing explosive growth.

From an industry perspective, range-extended vehicles are gradually gaining market favor, primarily because they can deliver pure-electric driving for short distances while also ensuring sufficient range for long-distance trips. It’s worth noting that other plug-in hybrid technologies—such as BYD’s DM-i, Great Wall’s DHT, Geely’s Leishen Hi·X, and Changan’s Blue Whale iDD—can also achieve these same benefits. In fact, the latter even have an edge in terms of fuel economy.

It is understood that, from a technical standpoint, range-extending electric vehicles—and hybrid technology solutions currently popular such as BYD’s DM-i and Great Wall’s DHT—are all plug-in hybrid technologies capable of direct electric-drive operation. The key difference lies in the fact that range-extending electric vehicles can only be driven by electricity, whereas the latter can directly use the internal-combustion engine to power the vehicle with relatively less energy loss.

Many car owners have reported that, in electric-only mode (i.e., when the fuel tank is empty), many vehicles equipped with hybrid technologies such as DM-i have seen their fuel consumption drop to as low as 4-5 liters per 100 kilometers—significantly lower than the 6-10 liters per 100 kilometers or even higher typically consumed by conventional gasoline-powered cars. “These hybrid models not only promote energy conservation and environmental protection but also meet our travel needs,” said a owner of a BYD Song PLUS DM-i.

In fact, given the current challenges in breaking through the battery density limits of new-energy vehicles and the constraints on charging speeds, plug-in hybrid models equipped with technologies such as range-extended electric systems and DM-i hybrid systems are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers.

Data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in 2022, cumulative sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in China reached 1.4198 million units, a surge of 160.5% compared to the full-year sales in 2021. Meanwhile, in the overall new-energy vehicle market, the share of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles rose from 18.2% in 2021 to 25% in 2022. By contrast, in 2022, the growth rate of pure-electric vehicle sales nationwide was only 74.2%, and their share of the overall new-energy vehicle market fell to 75%.

For automakers, plug-in hybrid vehicles are beneficial to the company... Contributions are also increasing significantly, and in terms of sales volume, they have even surpassed those of pure electric vehicles. Take BYD as an example: In 2022, BYD’s new-energy vehicle sales reached approximately 1.868 million units. Among these, DM-i models accounted for over 946,000 units sold for the entire year, while pure electric models sold 911,000 units.

Ji Xuehong believes that with the national subsidies for pure electric vehicles now coming to an end and charging infrastructure still not fully developed, plug-in hybrid vehicles are presented with significant development opportunities.

“Plug-in hybrid vehicles are better suited to the driving needs in cold, remote areas as well as long-distance trips. As the new-energy vehicle industry continues to develop, this approach is expected to remain viable in the long term,” said Ji Xuehong. “As for range-extended solutions, their fuel efficiency is likely to improve in the future, narrowing the gap with other plug-in hybrid technologies and thus ensuring their continued growth.”

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