Range-extended vehicles were originally looked down upon in the automotive circle. There is a saying among the public: “Those who make pure-electric vehicles look down on those who make hybrid vehicles, and those who make plug-in hybrid vehicles look down on those who make range-extended vehicles.” This is because compared with pure-electric and plug-in hybrid models, range-extended technology is naturally backward.
However, this so-called “backward” technology has given rise to two generations of best-selling models among new car-making forces: Li Auto and Leapmotor. The Wenjie brand, one of the representatives of high-end self-owned brands, has also achieved a significant increase in sales thanks to range-extended technology.
In 2025, many car companies such as IM Motors and XPeng Motors started to embrace range-extended technology, and dozens of range-extended models were launched into the market. In 2026, some car companies are still making efforts in this field.
What’s the real intention behind car companies’ pursuit of range-extended technology?
01 Growth Amid Controversy
As early as 1900 when fuel vehicles were just emerging, Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of Porsche, built the world’s first range-extended electric vehicle, laying the foundation for modern range-extended electric vehicle technology.
The debate surrounding the range-extended technology route has a long history and is still intense today.
One view holds that compared with pure-electric vehicles, range-extended technology is backward. Not only does it produce more carbon emissions than pure-electric vehicles, but it also faces problems such as short pure-electric range, slow charging, obvious noise, and poor driving experience when the battery is low.
In 2020, Feng Sihan, then CEO of Volkswagen Brand in China, bluntly stated, “From the perspective of a single vehicle, range-extended electric vehicles have certain value. But from the perspective of the whole country and the earth, it’s nonsense and the worst solution!” Wei Deman, then head of Volkswagen Group’s R & D department in China, also said that range-extended electric technology is outdated.
NIO is a firm advocate of pure-electric vehicles. In August 2025, Li Bin, the founder of NIO, said, “In the development of the entire automotive industry, electric vehicles will be pure-electric, and there is no doubt about that.”
In Li Bin’s view, both range-extended and plug-in hybrid vehicles are just transitional products in the development of new energy vehicles. The rapid growth of range-extended and plug-in hybrid models in the past few years is not the ultimate victory of the technology route but an objective reflection of market demand at a specific stage.
Mu Feng, the president of Great Wall Motors, reiterated at the Guanyuan platform press conference on January 16 that Great Wall “will never make range-extended vehicles.” The Guanyuan platform features “one vehicle with multiple power options,” supporting FCEV hydrogen fuel systems, ICE high-efficiency fuel systems, BEV pure-electric systems, HEV hybrid systems, and PHEV plug-in hybrid systems, except for range-extended systems.
In Mu Feng’s view, the design logic of range-extended technology is essentially a cut – cornering of technology and a compromise on the essence of travel.
The other view argues that pure-electric vehicles face difficult – to – solve problems such as battery degradation, range anxiety, and insufficient charging capabilities. Range-extended vehicles that can use both electricity and fuel as a power backup are all – rounders.
“Range-extended technology is not a transitional technology but one of the mainstays of future vehicles,” said Yang Yusheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. “In terms of environmental protection, range-extended electric vehicles reduce carbon emissions by more than 50% compared with traditional fuel vehicles. If green fuels such as methanol and ethanol are used, the emission reduction effect will be more significant.”
Yang Yusheng said that when green liquid fuels become popular, range-extended vehicles will completely break away from dependence on oil and become a key carrier for carbon neutrality.
However, regardless of how intense the debate about range-extended technology is in the market, an objective reality in the Chinese automotive market today is that range-extended technology has become a hot pursuit for car companies. Many car companies have invested real money to enter the range-extended market, adopting a “two – legged approach” of pure-electric and range-extended vehicles in the new energy vehicle field.
For example, in 2025, IM Motors globally launched the “Stellar” super range-extended technology, and XPeng Motors introduced a new generation of range-extended technology solution, the Kunpeng Super Range – Extended System.
Volkswagen, which once had a negative attitude towards range-extended electric vehicles, has gone back on its word. In 2026, SAIC Volkswagen will launch two range-extended models for the first time. Among them, the new range-extended ID.ERA 9X has attracted much market attention. It is reported that the ID.ERA 9X will be launched in March this year and is also planning for exports. The vehicle is positioned as a large SUV, powered by a 1.5T range extender with a maximum power of 105kW and equipped with a 65.2kWh battery, with a CLTC pure-electric range of over 400km.
Xiaomi Auto, which has seen a sharp increase in sales, will also launch a range-extended five – seat SUV and a range-extended seven – seat SUV in 2026. According to 36Kr, the internal code name of Xiaomi’s range-extended seven – seat SUV is “Kunlun,” which is positioned similarly to the Li L9 and Leapmotor D19. It is a mid – to – large – sized SUV targeting the family market, adopting a power solution with a “large battery” of over 70 kWh and having a pure-electric range of 400 – 500 kilometers.
It is expected that in 2026, with the more intense competition in the automotive market, more range-extended models will be launched.
02 The Value of Range – Extended Technology
Behind car companies’ scramble to layout range-extended technology is the real demand of consumers, which in turn promotes a sharp increase in the sales and profitability of relevant car companies.
In the past few years, despite doubts in the industry, Li Auto plunged into the range-extended vehicle market. By using the range-extended structure, it saved a huge amount of battery costs and invested the funds in improving user experience, such as providing large space, “refrigerators, color TVs, and big sofas.” The success of the Li ONE verified the commercial success of range-extended technology. Li Auto not only became the sales champion among new car-making forces but also achieved profitability ahead of others.
With Li Auto paving the way, domestic car companies have followed suit, betting on the proven and high – certainty golden track of range-extended technology.
Launched at the end of 2021, Wenjie targets the high – end market, choosing a dual – power combination of range – extended and pure – electric vehicles. With the help of Huawei’s intelligent technology, its sales have skyrocketed, and it has successfully turned its parent company, Seres, from losses to profits.
In 2023, Leapmotor, focusing on the mass market, officially entered the range – extended vehicle market and started the layout of dual – power products of pure – electric and range – extended vehicles. With the launch of many popular models such as the C – series models C16, C10, C11, and the B – series in recent years, Leapmotor officially replaced Li Auto as the new annual sales champion among Chinese new car – making forces in 2025 and achieved a positive semi – annual net profit for the first time in the first half of 2025.
Automobile brands betting on the range – extended vehicle market have received good news one after another. From the development of Li Auto, Wenjie, and Leapmotor, range – extended technology is applicable in both high – end and mass markets. Driven by this huge attraction, in the Chinese automotive market in 2025, the technology competition is no longer limited to intelligence, and new car companies entering the range – extended vehicle market are also competing in range – extended technology.
In summary, today’s range – extended vehicles are not only competing in long – range capabilities but also in low fuel consumption when the battery is low, quietness, and a driving experience comparable to that of pure – electric vehicles.
For example, in August 2025, IM Motors, which has long been involved in the pure – electric vehicle field, globally launched the Stellar Super Range – Extended System. This system is equipped with a 66kWh large battery dedicated to range – extended vehicles, with a CLTC pure – electric range of over 450km and a comprehensive range of over 1500km (CLTC). It integrates an 800V ultra – fast charging platform, greatly improving charging efficiency. It enables the fuel consumption of mid – to – large – sized range – extended SUVs to reach 5.32L/100km for the first time when the battery is low. The industry’s first ERNC active cabin noise reduction technology makes the noise level of the vehicle less than 36dB at idle, the noise difference when the range extender is engaged less than or equal to 0.5dB, and the lowest in – car noise when starting the range extender is 0.01dB, making the cabin completely quiet.
Another example is that in November 2025, XPeng Motors launched the Kunpeng Super Range – Extended System. This system uses a “large fuel tank + large battery” to achieve a CLTC pure – electric range of over 450km and a comprehensive range of over 1600km. It uses 5C + 800V ultra – fast charging technology, and can recharge 70% of the SOC in 12 minutes. It can maintain a stable high – speed cruise of 150km/h even when the battery is low. Its comprehensive fuel consumption is 15% lower than that of its peers. It adopts an ultra – quiet and imperceptible range extender design, combined with ENC active noise reduction technology, reducing the vibration when the range extender starts and stops by 60% and keeping the noise when the range extender is engaged below 0.5dB.
It can be seen that with the entry of “new players,” the technological ceiling of range – extended vehicles is constantly being raised.
03 The Attraction of the Incremental Market
Ultimately, consumers don’t really care about the technological route of the automotive industry’s development. What they really care about is the driving experience. This is not only reflected in the sales of car companies such as Li Auto, Wenjie, and Leapmotor but also in the continuous growth of range – extended vehicle sales in the Chinese market in recent years.
Data from the Passenger Car Association shows that in 2024, the retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China reached 10.899 million, a year – on – year increase of 40.7%. Among them, the sales of range – extended vehicles reached 1.167 million, a year – on – year increase of 78.7%. In 2025, the cumulative retail sales of range – extended vehicles further increased to 1.235 million.
It is worth noting that although data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that the sales of new energy vehicles reached 16.49 million in 2025, and the proportion of new energy vehicles in the domestic new car market exceeded 50%, the geographical distribution of new energy vehicles in the country is not balanced.
According to the list of the top 100 cities in terms of new energy vehicle sales in 2025 released by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, the geographical distribution of new energy vehicle sales in China shows the characteristics of “dominated by the south and regionally concentrated.” The Pearl River Delta region represented by Guangdong Province, the Yangtze River Delta region represented by Zhejiang Province, the Chengdu – Chongqing Economic Circle, and the Beijing – Tianjin – Hebei and Central China regions are the core consumer markets. These areas have developed economies, mature supporting facilities for new energy vehicles, and more suitable climates for new energy vehicle travel.
As we all know, although China’s charging infrastructure is constantly expanding, with the continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, competition for charging facilities during travel, especially during peak hours, is inevitable. There are occasional news reports of car owners fighting over charging piles.
In addition, factors such as low temperature and wind resistance can affect the battery performance of new energy vehicles. Affected by natural factors such as complex terrain and cold climate, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in Northeast and Northwest China is low. In remote areas, due to complex geographical conditions, low population density, and weak infrastructure, new energy vehicles still face prominent pain points such as low charging pile coverage and poor charging efficiency.
This means that in the sinking market where charging is not very convenient, for long – distance travel, and in markets such as Northeast and Northwest China, range – extended vehicles can play a crucial role in solving range anxiety and help car companies explore new incremental space.
This is well – represented by a set of data released by XPeng Motors: The XPeng X9 Super Range – Extended model broke the previous single – day pre – order record of the X9 within one hour of its launch, and the performance in the northern market was particularly outstanding, with the order proportion exceeding 50% for the first time.
In promoting the export of Chinese new energy vehicles, diverse power routes can make Chinese new energy vehicle brands more competitive in the global market.
Qi Hongzhong, the person in charge of new energy power R & D at the Platform Technology Research Institute of GAC Group, pointed out that the charging conditions in the international market are far from as perfect as those in China, especially in terms of highway networks, power structures, and charging pile density. Under such circumstances, plug – in hybrid and range – extended models have the “backup” ability of fuel charging, so they will still play an important role in export competitiveness.
More importantly, as the competition in the new energy vehicle market enters a deeper stage, the competition in system – building capabilities will become the key for car companies to win. A richer brand portfolio, more diverse products, and more complete power forms are all expected to help car companies expand into more markets and survive the fierce competition.
Car companies’ pursuit of range – extended technology is essentially a bet on the future.
This article is from the WeChat official account “DoNews” (ID: ilovedonews), author: Xu Yun, published by 36Kr with authorization.
