Es gibt immer mehr Marken, die Reichweitenverlängerer-Fahrzeuge herstellen, aber die Reichweitenverlängerer-Fahrzeuge verkaufen sich nicht mehr so gut.

Sometimes, it's hard to say whether range - extended electric vehicles (REEVs) are a treasure or a pitfall.

Just a few days ago, IM Motors unveiled an extended - range version of the LS6. In just half an hour, it received 10,000 small orders. It seems like we've gone back to the era when pure - electric brands were easily outperformed by REEV models?

Right after that, Hyper, a brand related to GAC Aion, also seized the opportunity and quickly launched the extended - range version of the Hyper HL.

If you wait a little longer, you'll also have the chance to see XPeng's REEV models. In the previous Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) disclosure, there was information about the extended - range version of the XPeng X9. It's probably not far from its debut.

In short, IM Motors, Hyper, XPeng, along with predecessors like Leapmotor, Deepal, and Avatr, all these brands that originally focused on pure - electric vehicles are now entering the REEV market. They all seem to have a bright future.

However, is the reality really like this? On one hand, pure - electric brands are rushing to develop REEV models. On the other hand, REEV brands are frantically returning to the pure - electric field.

Just as the A - share market reached a ten - year high, the sales of REEVs seem to have stopped growing.

According to the data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), in July this year, the retail sales of REEVs were only 102,000 units, a year - on - year decrease of up to 11.4%. In contrast, the sales of pure - electric vehicles increased by 24.5%.

If you look at the sales data of the previous months, except for the sales surge of the Wenjie M8 in April and May this year, you'll find that the growth rate of REEVs is always at the bottom.

Not to mention that among new - energy vehicle startups, the ratio of pure - electric to REEV models has changed significantly, from 43:57 last year to 64:36 now.

All these signs indicate that REEVs are being replaced by pure - electric vehicles.

If we lay out the sales data of all car companies in July, you'll better understand the seesaw relationship between the pure - electric and REEV camps.

For example, pure - electric brands like Xiaomi and XPeng have launched several popular models and can now sell over 30,000 units per month, at least double their sales compared to last year.

On the other hand, REEV brands like Wenjie and Li Auto are showing signs of decline.

Actually, Wenjie launched a popular model, the Wenjie M8, in April this year. However, it not only affected Li Auto's sales but also had an impact on its own other models. While the monthly sales of the M8 increased from 2,000 to 20,000 units, the monthly sales of the M9 dropped from 15,000 to 10,000 units, showing little growth compared to last year.

What about Li Auto? In July, Li Auto's sales decreased by 39.7% year - on - year. Such performance would even lead to being reported by teammates in a game.

Maybe because it sold too well last year or there are too many similar competing models. All of its models, such as the L6, L7, L8, and L9, are under great pressure this year. After the launch of the MEGA, Li Auto has chosen to focus on pure - electric models in the future.

So among new - energy vehicle startups, Xiaomi and XPeng are challenging the positions of Wenjie and Li Auto.

However, we've missed a major player here, Leapmotor, which is neither a completely pure - electric nor a completely REEV brand. It delivered 50,000 units this month, and no other brand can compete with it.

But you may not expect that although Leapmotor is called the "little Li Auto", its sales growth mainly comes from pure - electric models. Leapmotor mentioned last year that pure - electric models accounted for 70% of its total sales, and this proportion will surely increase this year.

For example, after the facelift of the C11, pure - electric models accounted for 80% of its sales. Even the recently launched popular models, the B01 and B10, don't have extended - range versions.

So, does this mean that REEVs are no longer popular?

I can only say that it's not the REEV technology that's wrong, but the market. You can blame it on the fact that pure - electric vehicles are getting cheaper.

As a person who has worked in a car dealership, Brother Neck deeply understands the importance of the terminal price. Some people will bargain with the sales manager for a whole day for a 100 - yuan discount.

In the past, the price difference between the extended - range and pure - electric versions of the same car could be 30,000 - 40,000 RMB. The temptation of an extended - range model was even greater than getting free eggs at a lecture.

For example, in 2022, the price difference between the extended - range and pure - electric versions of the Voyah FREE was a full 40,000 RMB, but except for the powertrain, the configurations were almost the same.

However, now the price difference in the market has gradually dropped to about 10,000 RMB. More and more car companies are even offering the same price for both extended - range and pure - electric versions. Take the price cut of the Li Auto i8 as an example. Its configuration is more attractive than the extended - range version. Considering that you also need to spend money on fuel for an extended - range model, an extended - range model just adds to your cost...

The main culprit for all this is undoubtedly the falling price of lithium.

In the past few years, with the global expansion of production, the price of lithium carbonate has dropped from 240,000 RMB per ton to 80,000 RMB. You can't find any sign of cost - recovery in all the technical indicators.

Therefore, the battery cost has naturally been decreasing. Having a smaller battery is no longer an advantage for REEVs.

The only remaining advantage of REEVs is to relieve range anxiety.

But have you noticed that buying a REEV now is like buying a gym membership. In the end, it's just a means to relieve anxiety. The difference is that gyms may go bankrupt, while the range extender in a REEV only generates electricity.

For pure - electric vehicle owners, range anxiety seems to be less of a problem. Because there are more and more charging piles around, maybe even too many.

According to the "Monitoring Report on Charging Infrastructure in Major Chinese Cities" in 2024, the average density of public charging piles in the central areas of 36 major cities has reached 34.3 per square kilometer, which means about one charging pile for every seven cars.

You should know that this doesn't even include private charging piles. In fact, the number of private charging piles is even larger, accounting for about 74.5% of the total. In third - and fourth - tier cities, although the number of public charging piles is small, private charging piles are more common.

At the same time, because the raw materials are cheaper, the battery range of pure - electric vehicles is also increasing.

In 2023, the CLTC range of the rear - wheel - drive long - range version of the Tesla Model Y was 688 km. Now, the latest Model Y L has a range of 751 km, and the Model 3 even has a range of 830 km.

That is to say, pure - electric vehicles can fully meet the needs of urban commuting and have even overcome the challenges of medium - and short - distance long - distance travel. And the electricity price is also lower.

On the other hand, although the range extender in a REEV can supplement the vehicle's range, many people who have driven REEVs for a long time will find that they don't actually need the range extender that much.

For example, in the driving mileage statistics of Li Auto in 2024, the mileage driven by pure - electric power is almost twice that of the mileage driven by fuel. According to J.D. Power's data, in daily driving, 85% of Li Auto's REEV owners only use the 150 - km pure - electric range.

Because charging is cheap, people will use pure - electric power whenever possible. As a result, for those who use REEVs like pure - electric vehicles, range anxiety has shifted to them instead.

So, now REEVs no longer adhere to the concept of small - battery design.

In the past, Li Auto used a large 52.5 - kWh battery to achieve a 280 - km pure - electric range, which was praised by the industry. Now, such a design would even be criticized for being stingy.

Take the IM Motors LS6 we mentioned at the beginning. It uses a 66 - kWh battery to achieve a 450 - km range. The Hyper HL also