IM Motors presents range extender with a 1,500 km range
SAIC’s subsidiary IM Motors presented a new range extender system at the beginning of August under the name ‘Stellar.’ The powertrain is making its debut in the recently redesigned IM Motors LS6, the brand’s Tesla Model Y competitor, which is scheduled to go on pre-sale in China on 15 August.
The manufacturer has also introduced the model in the United Kingdom under the abbreviation IM6. It is not yet known whether the range extender will also be offered there in the long term. The seven-seater luxury SUV LS9 will follow in IM Motors’ home market in the fourth quarter.
IM Motors combines an 800-volt electric motor with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is fed by a variable turbine geometry supercharger. This is intended to give the combustion engine good torque across the entire rev range and make it particularly efficient. IM Motors states that the combined fuel consumption according to Chinese standards is 2.1 litres per 100 kilometres.
For the power storage system, the SAIC subsidiary relies on the expertise of CATL and installs the ‘Super Freevoy Max’ battery, which was specially developed for hybrid drives. Its total capacity is 66 kWh, which should be sufficient for an electric range of 450 kilometres. When you add the range generated by the combustion engine, you end up with 1,500 kilometres.
Whether this is really necessary remains to be seen; hardly anyone covers such a distance without taking long breaks. Even though electric cars with range extenders are becoming increasingly popular in China, according to the portal carnewschina.com, they are mostly powered purely by electricity, as the running costs for a combustion engine are significantly higher there than for a BEV.
One reason for the great popularity of bridge technology among Chinese car manufacturers is the huge success of the manufacturer Li Auto. Founded in 2015, the company has been offering exclusively electric cars with range extenders for years, and in large numbers. However, Li Auto is currently expanding its model range to include purely electric vehicles. It remains to be seen how demand for EREVs will develop in the coming years.
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