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xpeng motors will launch its first extended-range vehicle before the fourth quarter of 2025. currently, three pieces of information have been confirmed by xpeng motors insiders and related supply chains: 1. the first extended-range vehicle is based on the xpeng g9 prototype and is positioned as a large suv; 2. the price will be more than 200,000 yuan; 3. dong’an power will provide range extender components.

let's talk about something that everyone is interested in. now more and more car companies are promoting extended-range vehicles. the technology is getting more and more popular, and the price is getting lower and lower. does xiaopeng's extended-range vehicle have any advanced technology? how will the "extended-range version" of g9 perform in the future? will the price drop?

did xiaopeng choose the worst technology to build its extended-range vehicle?

to answer the first question, we need to look at the core of the range extender system, that is, the technical content of the range extender. at present, xiaopeng has confirmed that the supplier of the range extender is dong'an power, but it has not said which model to use. we might as well reverse the 7 models that dong'an power has completed market verification.

if we classify by displacement, we can first exclude the code-named m12tde range extender engine with a displacement of only 1.2l. because considering the product positioning of the future "range extender" xiaopeng g9 as a "large suv", the acceleration performance must keep up. although the range extender does not participate in the drive, the horsepower depends on the power of the drive motor, but in terms of power supply efficiency, the small-displacement range extender is definitely not as good as the large-displacement one, this is beyond doubt, so this small-displacement range extender will definitely not meet the demand.

taking into account the wenjie m7, ideal l7, lantu free, and even the ideal l9 or wenjie m9 that may be comparable in the future, the range extender of the new car will most likely be 1.5l and above, and the range is narrowed down to the five models code-named m15ntde (displacement 1.5t), code-named m15ne/m16ne (displacement 1.5l, 1.6l), code-named m15ke (displacement 1.5l), and code-named n20e (displacement 2.0l). however, from the perspective of compatibility with xiaopeng g9, the final choice will most likely be the range extender code-named m15ntde.

next, let's take a look at the range extender. this model adopts a lightweight, compact integrated design. like traditional fuel engines, it also uses a dual injection system, in which each cylinder is equipped with two nozzles, one for direct injection into the cylinder and the other for traditional intake duct injection. the purpose is to make the work in the cylinder more complete. there are also atkinson cycle and friction reduction technology to help improve efficiency. the peak power is 90 kilowatts, and the speed enters the maximum torque range (220 nm) at 2500 rpm. the thermal efficiency is around 42%. the whole set of technologies is relatively not difficult.

it should be noted that this model is also the same range extender equipped on the 2024 lantu free. referring to the configuration version with a similar curb weight to the xiaopeng g9, its minimum charged fuel consumption per 100 kilometers under wltc conditions is 6.69 liters, which is equivalent to 0.5 yuan per kilometer, which is very close to the cost of using a fuel vehicle. in addition, the positioning of xiaopeng's "extended-range version of g9" is larger than xiaopeng g9, which means that the tonnage is also larger, so it can be basically judged that the fuel consumption of xiaopeng's first extended-range vehicle will not be low, and the fuel consumption cost will even exceed 0.5 yuan per kilometer. from this perspective, it is not as cost-effective as the pure electric g9.

on the other hand, let's look at the performance of the range extender team. take the avita 07 that is scheduled to be launched at the end of this month as an example. its kunlun range extender he 1.5t dedicated engine has a thermal efficiency of more than 42%, reaching 44.39%. it is also equipped with the electronic oil pump technology and shutdown piston active control technology that appear for the first time in the range extender army. it can effectively suppress and reduce engine noise and vibration, which is obviously a generation gap from traditional range extenders.

there is also ideal auto, which has proved to its competitors that the extended-range route is feasible. although ideal one also used dong’an power’s 1.2l three-cylinder range extender in the early stage, the entire product portfolio has now replaced this range extender, and the supplier has also become a joint venture established by ideal and xinchen power. the main l2e15m model has a maximum power of 113 kilowatts and uses miller cycle technology. this technology can achieve a combustion process in which the expansion ratio is greater than the compression ratio by closing the intake valve early, thereby reducing pumping losses and improving thermal efficiency. although it will affect the maximum performance of the engine, for a range extender whose primary goal is high efficiency, this will be a safe and error-free choice. moreover, as the parent company of this range extender, ideal can also directly participate in the research and development and tuning of the range extender, and make adjustments at any time based on market feedback and product performance.

in fact, we can draw the following conclusion here. if we want to stay on the road of range extension for a long time and steadily, the range extender must be highly adapted, and self-development is the only way. this is why wenjie, avita, ideal, etc. did not choose to rely too much on suppliers for range extenders, but conducted in-depth self-development. in this way, xiaopeng, which entered the market for the first time, has almost no highlights in the range extension route it chose. what's more, xiaopeng's first range extender is based on the reverse "electric to oil" of g9. even if the best range extender supplier gives it to you, how to better adapt it to the whole vehicle power system and electrification structure for the second time, this forced reverse process may be more painful than taking all forward research and development.

at this point, we have to mention xiaomi motors, another company that has already started to develop extended-range vehicles. according to the plan, xpeng's first extended-range vehicle will be released before the fourth quarter of 2025, and xiaomi's first extended-range vehicle will be released in 2026. including the project establishment time, both xpeng and xiaomi will spend 3 years to polish their extended-range products. the difference is that xiaomi's first extended-range vehicle will not be directly modified based on existing models like xpeng, but a brand-new product based on the extended-range technology developed in cooperation with baic, which is constantly adapted and adjusted. this can basically be regarded as a product of positive research and development. as for the specific energy consumption performance of these two vehicles, we need to wait for further official disclosure.

the interior space of the extended-range g9 may be reduced

xiaopeng is about to start making extended-range vehicles. whether it can be as popular in the market as mona m03 depends on how much sincerity xiaopeng will put into this new car. you know, the reason why the order volume of mona m03 can exceed 100,000 units in a month is nothing more than hitting the point that users care about most: the price is low, so low that a car with a range of 620 kilometers can be bought for less than 130,000 yuan, the entry-level version is only over 110,000 yuan, and the top-of-the-line model with high-end intelligent driving is only 155,800 yuan. looking at the 100,000-150,000 yuan price market, this car is currently the only one that brings intelligent driving into the 150,000 yuan price range.

from another perspective, behind this phenomenon, xiaopeng actually made an attempt to exchange market for low prices, and in this price range, it chose to use intelligent driving and rival volumes. therefore, the popularity of mona m03 is inseparable from product strength + low-price strategy.

according to this logic, xiaopeng can directly apply it to the extended-range version of g9. however, the positioning of xiaopeng g9 and mona m03 is different. xiaopeng g9 focuses on family travel and pursues a comfortable riding experience, so this formula will most likely become low price + experience.

at this point, some people may ask, the r&d cost of the extended-range version of g9 has increased, and the future guide price should be higher than the current xiaopeng g9 to meet the profit conditions. however, the current extended-range vehicle market has given the answer. to give a typical example, the entry-level guide price of the 2022 wenjie m7 is 289,800 yuan, and the fully configured flagship version is 379,800 yuan. the annual sales volume is only 75,000 units, which is just over 6,000 units per month. the 2024 wenjie m7 launched a year later, the entry price directly dropped to 249,800 yuan, and the most expensive version is only 329,800 yuan, a drop of 60,000 yuan. the result of this wave of combined punches is that less than a month after the launch, the order volume exceeded 50,000 units, which is equivalent to the sales volume of nearly a year in one month.

then there is the lantu free, which will support two power options: pure electric and extended-range when it is launched in 2021. the pricing between the two is that the extended-range option is nearly rmb 10,000 cheaper, and this does not include the terminal landing price with even greater discounts. after three years of market polishing, and for the sake of cost control and other factors, lantu now chooses to promote the extended-range option. the range extender was replaced by the sfg15tr model previously produced by xiaokang power in august last year, and was provided by dong'an power. the price has been adjusted from the previous starting price of rmb 333,600 to rmb 228,900, a drop of more than rmb 100,000.

therefore, based on the current status of the extended-range vehicle market, the price of the extended-range version of xiaopeng g9 will definitely be lower than the pure electric version of xiaopeng g9 in the future. moreover, based on the current entry-level 570pro (guided price 263,900 yuan, terminal price 243,900 yuan), the guided price must be reduced by at least 60,000 yuan to have a chance to compete with its competitors. the price of just over 200,000 yuan just meets xiaopeng motors' pricing expectations for its first extended-range vehicle.

if the price is really reduced, will the extended-range version of xiaopeng g9 be as popular as mona m03? it is estimated that it will be difficult to replicate. as mentioned earlier, mona m03 became popular because its price was low enough and it also allowed users to experience high-level intelligent driving at a low price, which is the core competitiveness of this car. what about the extended-range version of g9?

the core competitiveness will be in the dimensions of energy consumption and space. energy consumption is not easy to compare now, but the space inside the cabin will definitely be compressed. imagine that a flat chassis designed for pure electric vehicles is now forced to fit a range extender and a series of other core components to match it. the layout of the chassis will inevitably be adjusted. for the xiaopeng g9, whose cabin performance is not absolutely advantageous, the shrinkage of the interior space will obviously be a flaw. so xiaopeng motors will stretch it and build an extended-range "large suv". how long can it actually be stretched and how much improvement will the actual internal utilization rate have? these all need to be answered slowly by xiaopeng motors.