From "Backward" to "True Fragrance": Who Is Barefoot Behind the Range-Extended Technology Comeback?

In just a few years, the range extender technology, once labeled as "outdated" by a certain traditional major manufacturer, has become the mainstream automotive technology route today. From new forces to multinational automakers, many have joined the field; consumers have also voted with their feet, giving positive feedback. Whether in monthly or weekly sales rankings, range extender players consistently occupy the top positions.

According to statistics from the China Passenger Car Association, from 2021 to 2024, extended-range vehicle sales achieved growth rates of 218%, 130%, 154%, and 70.9% respectively, far surpassing the growth rates of pure electric vehicles and fuel vehicles during the same period.

The concept of range extenders was popularized by new domestic car brands, and their reason for entering the market with range extenders is quite straightforward: among new energy technologies, the structure of range extenders is the simplest, and the corresponding technical barriers are therefore lower.

The so-called range extender is colloquially understood as equipping the motor with a "power bank" (engine) that can increase mileage. The engine and motor are in a series configuration, where the engine is responsible for generating electricity and does not participate in driving. In contrast, the engines in hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems also participate in driving and use a more complex series-parallel configuration.

The complexity of Structure One increases both the difficulty and cost of car manufacturing, making it clearly unsuitable for new entrants who lack technical reserves and funds. Therefore, range extenders are more friendly to new players. Coupled with the appeal of “refrigerator, TV, and big sofa” features, users’ interest naturally rises.

Moreover, with the "power bank" of range-extended vehicles, the range anxiety of electric car users can be completely resolved. Nowadays, from office workers to students, almost everyone carries a power bank when going out. You may not use it, but you can't be without it, otherwise you'll feel uneasy. Electric car users have the same feeling when going out; no one wants to spend a short holiday queuing at a service area charging station.

Simple does not mean backward.

Indeed, the structure of range extender technology is simpler compared to plug-in hybrids, but a simpler structure does not mean a lower level of technological sophistication, because there is still a huge gap between something that "works" and something that is "easy to use."

Adding a range extender to an electric motor, if the presence of the extender is too strong, will feel very abrupt. As a result, compared to pure electric vehicles, range-extended vehicles lack the quietness, and the driving experience is also less smooth than that of pure electric vehicles.

Moreover, if the system coordination between the range extender and the electric motor is not well executed, this "power bank" will seem quite redundant. Once the battery runs low, the overall vehicle power will drop off a cliff, resulting in sluggish acceleration and weak overtaking capability. Its performance on the highway could even be worse than that of gasoline cars in the same class. As the saying goes, "a dragon with electricity, a worm without it."

This is actually a contradiction. You want the range extender to provide a "seamless" experience, yet you also expect it to be reliable when it really counts. Car manufacturers lacking strong technical capabilities can only evade the core issues. Come on, just enjoy the charm of the "fridge, TV, and big sofa" experience more; as for the rest, as long as it works, it's fine.

A good range-extended vehicle, of course, should not settle for merely being "functional." While smart electric vehicles do have a trend toward consumer electronics-like features, smartphones can be replaced every two to three years, but few families can afford to replace a car every two to three years.

In addition to range anxiety and noise anxiety, issues such as charging efficiency, battery degradation, and service life also affect the user experience of range extender vehicle owners.

How can users without home charging stations quickly recharge? How can a pure electric range of one to two hundred kilometers support a week's worth of travel? Will frequent fast charging and discharging significantly degrade battery life? These seemingly trivial pain points are precisely the dividing line that distinguishes the strengths and weaknesses of automakers' range extender technologies.

This is also why we emphasize that range extension has its thresholds. To truly excel in range extension technology, car manufacturers should have the capability to independently develop core components such as engines and possess the ability to provide full-stack power system solutions, rather than relying on external suppliers for support.

Finally, in this wave of range extender craze, we have seen traditional major manufacturers take action.

The strength of major companies

The concept of range extension has become popular in recent years, but it's not a new idea. Over 100 years ago, Porsche developed the Lohner-Porsche "Mixte," which combined a lead-acid battery pack with a gasoline generator, forming the prototype of the range-extending concept. However, it remained at the experimental vehicle stage.

The true inventor of range extender technology at the mass production level is General Motors. In 2010, the Chevrolet Volt, a modern range-extended vehicle, was launched into mass production, making General Motors the standard setter of modern range extender technology.

Buick launched its first domestically produced extended-range vehicle, the VELITE 5, in 2016, making SAIC-GM a pioneer of extended-range models in China.

As a pioneer in range extension technology, GM was the first to complete the integration of electric drive systems, mastering core technologies such as dual-sided water cooling in inverters and three-in-one motor integration, and has accumulated profound expertise in this field.

When the market matures, the inventors of range extenders can make a triumphant return, just as SAIC General Motors is doing now.

In April this year, SAIC-GM officially announced the all-new Buick Xiaoyao Super Fusion Architecture on "Buick Day."

As the first joint venture brand vehicle architecture developed by the Pan-Asia local team and based on the Chinese market, the Xiaoyao architecture not only embodies the century-old commitment of General Motors to safety and quality but also integrates any advanced technologies. This provides a foundation for the advancement of the new generation of range-extended technology.

On August 7th, SAIC-GM officially launched the "Zhenlong" range-extended system, along with the first production vehicle equipped with this system, the Buick Zhijing L7. As part of the "Xiaoyao Architecture" power domain, the "Zhenlong" range-extended system consists of a brand-new hybrid-dedicated engine, the new Ultenic 2.0 platform electric drive, and a battery family, all of which are independently developed by SAIC-GM.

The strength of major companies is also reflected in their extensive accumulation of user data. When SAIC-GM was established in 1997, the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center was set up simultaneously. Over the past 28 years, as the number of SAIC-GM users has grown exponentially, this joint venture technical center has also accumulated a wealth of real vehicle usage data from Chinese users.

These data are a treasure trove, enabling SAIC-GM to set targeted development conditions for the "Zhenlong" range-extending system based on users' actual fast-charging frequency, driving aggressiveness, and other vehicle usage characteristics, thereby meeting the real needs of users. This is something that car companies entering the market late or relying on outsourced components cannot compare with.

It is precisely this accumulation that gave SAIC-GM General Manager Lu Xiao the confidence to boldly proclaim at the press conference, "As the inventor of range-extending technology, we are here to redefine range extension."

A set of hardcore combos

Consumers choose range extenders primarily to alleviate the range anxiety associated with pure electric vehicles. Considering that not all users have convenient charging conditions, the pure electric range of approximately 200km offered by most range extender vehicles on the market is insufficient.

Equipped with the "Zhenlong" range extension system, the Zhijing L7 achieves a pure electric range of 302 km—the longest in its class—allowing most users to charge just once a week. With a combined range of over 1,400 km, intercity travel is even more worry-free.

Even within a limited charging time, the efficiency of the Zhijing L7 is higher than that of its peers. It is equipped with a 40.2kWh Ultium battery that supports 120kW fast charging, allowing it to charge from 30% to 80% in just 18 minutes. When using public charging stations, you can replenish more mileage than others in the same amount of time.

It has to be said that SAIC-GM is good at naming. The “Zhenlong” (True Dragon) range extender, as the name suggests, is designed to eliminate the traditional drawback of range extenders: “a dragon with power, a worm without.”

SAIC-GM's independently developed 1.5T hybrid-specific engine has natural advantages in conversion efficiency and peak power, delivering a maximum output of 115 kW and a fuel-to-electricity conversion rate of up to 3.6 kWh/L. Paired with a range-extending motor that boasts the highest power in its class at 100 kW, its power output rivals that of a 3.0T V6 gasoline engine.

With the Ultium 2.0 battery's discharge capability of 315kW/9C at full charge and 260kW/7.8C at low charge, the time difference for acceleration from zero to 100 km/h and high-speed overtaking is less than 0.1 seconds, regardless of whether the battery is fully charged or low, which is almost imperceptible to the user.

Even when leaving the concrete jungle of the city to roam the magnificent landscapes of our country, whether it's the high-altitude snow-covered plateau, the extremely hot Turpan Basin, or the extremely cold forested snowy plains, you can enjoy the same powerful power output in any extreme scenario without worrying about the decline in vehicle performance under harsh conditions.

The test results show that the Zhijing L7 can achieve a 2000m ascent within 20 minutes at an altitude of over 4000 meters at the Kunlun Mountain pass. It can also perform more than 20 consecutive full-throttle 0-100 km/h accelerations without degradation in high-temperature areas, and achieve a cold start of the battery in extremely low power conditions at -40°C (SOC≈1%).

Of course, besides the performance differences users can feel with their feet in any scenario or working condition, there are also differences they can sense with their ears and wallets.

The "noise" in range extenders originates from engine intervention noise and vibration issues. The "Zhenlong" range extender adopts Silentium silent drive technology, optimizing system noise comprehensively from three dimensions: noise sources, transmission paths, and control strategies. The result is that the engine intervention noise in mainstream range extender models in the industry is around 2dB, while the Zhijing L7 can control this value to less than 0.5dB.

As for the wallet-friendliness, first of all, the fuel consumption is low—the ZhiJing L7 has a combined fuel consumption of only 0.5L per 100 kilometers. For daily commuting, it almost doesn’t use any fuel, making its economy comparable to that of a pure electric vehicle.

In addition, when it comes to the total cost of ownership over the entire lifecycle, many staunch gasoline car enthusiasts who refuse to buy electric vehicles have their own theory: "Don’t be fooled by the current savings on charging—after two years, the battery will be scrapped and replacing it costs more than swapping out an engine. All the money you saved earlier goes down the drain."

The "True Dragon" range-extending battery can achieve over 3,700 full charge and discharge cycles, has passed more than 2,000 hours of charging and discharging tests across a full temperature range of -40°C to 60°C, and its likelihood of degradation is greatly reduced. It can achieve low degradation with an all-electric range of 640,000 kilometers.

Assuming an average of 15,000 kilometers per year, it can achieve low degradation for 43 years, so you can use it with confidence.

As for safety concerns such as battery self-ignition, products from major manufacturers are a golden brand. It should be noted that since the Ultium 1.0 platform, Buick’s new energy vehicles have achieved a cumulative driving distance of over 1.5 billion kilometers with zero self-ignition, truly standing as the industry benchmark for battery safety.

Therefore, with the combination of ultra-long range, no performance degradation, extreme quietness, safety, and longevity, when SAIC-GM claims that the "True Dragon Range Extension will be the best range extension technology in the industry, and the Buick Zijing L7 will be the best range extension sedan in the industry," I am convinced.

In any technological competition, the focus ultimately returns to user experience. When technology no longer serves parameters but concentrates on addressing the real pain points of users, the experience undergoes a qualitative change.

SAIC General Motors, with 15 years of technological accumulation and robust engineering, has pushed the limits of range extender technology to new heights. This time, the "Zhenlong" range extender, with its ease of "no difference between full charge and low charge," officially announces the arrival of the range extender technology 2.0 era.