Author: Feng Jingang
Introduction: A popular range-extended electric car is urgently needed in the market.
The biggest news in the auto industry during this year’s National Day was that the electric vehicles had occupied most of the high-speed charging stations again, and the criticism towards “electric dad” has surfaced once again.
Despite the tremendous progress after six years of rapid development, the range anxiety still persists among EV users despite the fact that the maximum range has reached 700 kilometers. Meanwhile, gasoline cars or hybrids are still the preferred choice for long-distance travel.
On July 13th of this year, the second vehicle of DENZA, ME5, was officially launched. Its biggest selling point is the range of up to 1012 kilometers, priced at around 150,000 yuan.
Yes, ME5 is a range-extended electric car. Apart from Li Xiang ONE, SF5 and Voyah FREE, it is also another new range-extended electric car released by emerging brands. Compared with the price of up to two or three hundred thousand yuan for the former, the ME5 is much more accessible with a price tag of only 150,000 yuan.
Since entering the pure electric vehicle market in 2015, new forces have begun to pay attention to the market and turn to seize the market of range-extended electric cars. In addition to Li Xiang, SF Motors, Voyah, and DENZA, emerging players such as NIO and Leapmotor are also actively preparing for the range-extended electric car market.
In the eyes of traditional automakers, led by Volkswagen, range-extended technology is an outdated technology with no future prospects. However, the market tells us that the range-extended electric car is not bad at all.
In 2020, Li Xiang ONE delivered a total of 32,624 vehicles, with an average monthly delivery of 2,718 vehicles. Last year, Li Xiang ONE became the best-selling mid-to-large hybrid SUV globally. From January to September this year, Li Xiang ONE delivered a total of 42,797 vehicles, with an average monthly delivery of 4,755.
As new power behind range-extended cars, SF Motors SF5 and Voyah FREE also show great potential.
In August of this year, Voyah FREE began delivery with a performance of 408 units. In September, it delivered 908 units with a month-on-month growth rate of 122%. As a large five-seater with a price tag of over 300,000 yuan, Voyah FREE’s performance is also remarkable.
As the next heavyweight range-extended electric car, DENZA ME5, priced at only around 150,000 yuan, is also highly anticipated. On June 17, DENZA ME5 started crowdfunding on Jingdong app, and as of the morning of the 18th, there were already 5,000 orders placed, indicating ME5’s phenomenal competitiveness.The core technology behind the revitalization of range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) is to make up for the shortcomings of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in terms of pure electric range and lack of fast charging. The practicality of REEV is greater, while at the same time providing the sensation of pure electric driving.
Data shows that the IDEAL ONE uses a 40.5-degree ternary lithium battery with a NEDC pure electric range of 188 kilometers, the Voyah FREE uses a 33-degree battery with a pure electric range of 140 kilometers, and the Tiangong ME5 uses a 30.6-degree battery with a pure electric range of 155 kilometers.
As for the fuel consumption that many users are concerned about, the new generation range-extended technology also has no obvious shortcomings.
Xiaoxiong fuel consumption data shows that the IDEAL ONE’s average fuel consumption is 8.28 liters/100 kilometers, the fuel consumption of the Hanlanda hybrid version is 6.69 liters/100 kilometers, and the fuel consumption range of the fuel version is 10.93-12.74 liters/100 kilometers.
Official data shows that the Tiangong ME5’s fuel consumption is 4.9 liters/100 kilometers, which is a more significant improvement compared to the IDEAL ONE. Compared with the most popular domestic plug-in hybrid technology BYD Song PLUS DMi 110, which is at the same price point, that has a fuel consumption of 4.5 liters/100 kilometers.
Yes, in terms of fuel consumption, Tiangong’s range-extended electric vehicle technology has reached a level almost the same as the best domestic PHEV technology on the market.
Short-range electric drive, long-range range-extended, competitive fuel consumption, and the sensation of pure electric driving, plus intelligent technology interior and configuration – smart range-extended electric vehicles have become the latest and most practical category of cars.
Compared with the high-end positioning of IDEAL ONE and Voyah FREE, the Tiangong ME5 is positioned in the mid-end mainstream market, theoretically can capture more incremental customers, and is expected to undertake the important responsibility of popularizing range-extended electric vehicles.
“The ME5 is positioned as a ‘light luxury national new energy vehicle’, where light luxury refers to quality plus black technology, and national refers to super cost-effectiveness. Both leadership and popular acceptance are necessary, and one cannot be missing.” It can be seen that Zhang Hailiang, Chairman and CEO of Tiangong Automobile, is proud of the ME5’s range-extended technology and is also full of confidence in its market performance.
In addition to the aforementioned 5,000 orders, we have learned from Tiangong dealerships that users have high expectations for the ME5.
However, due to component shortages such as batteries and chips, the ME5 is still being rapidly produced at the Tiangong Changsha new factory and will meet everyone soon.
Zhang Hailiang candidly told Electric Vehicle Momentum reporters that ME5 sales will definitely achieve a breakthrough.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.