Volkswagen is plotting to bring range-extender electric vehicles to Europe after previewing its first model with the drivetrain at the Shanghai motor show.
Range-extender EVs, also known as RExs or EREVs, are the latest spin on hybrid cars, in which a combustion engine acts as a generator to power the electric motor or top up the battery, rather than driving the wheels.
“Range-extenders today are already a very big thing in China. They will be of relevance in North America and we are convinced they will also have relevance in Europe,” Martin Sander, Volkswagen's global head of sales and marketing, told Autocar.
Volkswagen on Tuesday unveiled the ID Era concept, a seven-seat SUV developed with MG parent company SAIC, that previews a REx model with a promised combined range of more than 621 miles.
Chinese car makers including Li Auto, Leapmotor and Avatr have swelled the market for RExs in China, prompting global firms to roll out their own such models.
“I think range-extenders could be a very good intermediate step for many consumers,” Sander said.
The Volkswagen Group has already announced that its new US-focused Scout off-roader brand will offer REx power. However, European models will be developed specifically for the region rather than taking the US or Chinese drivetrain, Sander said.
One potential eventuality is that Volkswagen will adapt an existing EV platform to incorporate a combustion engine. “We’re looking into the options,” Sander said.
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume urged the EU to exclude REx models from the ICE car sales ban coming in 2035.
“I would like to have them, and I think they are we can learn a bit from the Chinese, how pragmatically they are thinking [about emissions regulations],” he said as the ID Era was unveiled.
Other firms committing to introducing the technology include the Hyundai Motor Group. Last year, it said that it would build REx mid-size SUVs in the US from 2026 for both its Hyundai and Genesis brands. Compact REx models based on a dedicated platform will be made in China.
Hyundai’s shift into REx technology was in “response to the recent slowdown in EV demand”, said president and CEO Jaehoon Chang.
Ford has also said it will launch REx models with a focus on the US market.
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