The extended-range vehicle segment is not short of Xpeng Motors, but Xpeng Motors needs the extended-range segment more.

Produced by | Xinpinlue Finance

Author | Wu Wenwu

Xpeng Motors has officially announced its entry into the extended-range vehicle segment. In the face of fierce competition, can Xpeng Motors, which has fallen behind, catch up with Li Auto after adding extended-range capabilities?

01

Xpeng Motors is entering the extended-range segment

The market has been buzzing about this for a long time, and now it has become a reality. Xpeng Motors, a new force in automotive manufacturing, has officially announced its entry into the extended-range segment.

Xinpinlue Finance has observed that, according to reports from Ifeng News and other media, Xpeng Motors announced the official launch of its "Xpeng Kunpeng Super Electric System" extended-range system at the "Xpeng AI Technology Day" held on November 6.

This system is based on an 800V high-voltage silicon carbide platform and is equipped with a 5C super-fast charging AI battery, a hybrid silicon carbide coaxial electric drive, a silent range extender (operating noise is only 1dB), and AI battery management and power functions.

He Xiaopeng stated that it is no longer meaningful to create an ordinary extended-range vehicle. The Kunpeng in the Kunpeng Super Electric System represents the extended-range system, utilizing next-generation extended-range technology.

The extended-range system released by Xpeng Motors boasts several technical highlights. The 5C super-fast charging AI battery can achieve "1 km of range per second of charging," and 80% of the battery can be fully charged in just 12 minutes. To delay battery performance degradation, Xpeng has equipped each battery with a dedicated battery management chip. With the help of the "AI Battery Doctor," battery life can be effectively extended by 30%.

This system enables "one car, two capabilities," seamlessly switching between pure electric and extended-range modes. For scenarios such as climbing, muddy roads, and snowy conditions, the engine will intervene in advance to avoid insufficient power due to low battery levels.

Consumers are naturally concerned about the pure electric range of extended-range vehicles. The pure electric range of the Xpeng Kunpeng Super Electric System is 430 km, with a combined range exceeding 1,400 km.

Extended-range vehicles, of course, require energy replenishment. In terms of the energy replenishment system, Xpeng Motors primarily relies on its 1,641 self-operated charging stations already established nationwide. Xpeng Motors also plans to accelerate the construction of S5 supercharging stations by 2025.

In the view of Xinpinlue Finance, Xpeng Motors, which has previously focused solely on pure electric vehicles, is now introducing extended-range models. This offers a new option for consumers who love Xpeng Motors but do not want to purchase pure electric vehicles.

Rumors of Xpeng Motors entering the extended-range segment have been circulating for a long time. In mid-September of this year, 36Kr reported that Xpeng Motors' first extended-range model was under full development and was expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025. Xpeng's first extended-range model will be a large SUV, developed based on the G9 prototype, primarily targeting the price range of 200,000 yuan and above.

Now that Xpeng Motors has officially announced its entry into the extended-range segment, it naturally attracts external attention and heated discussion. So, why is Xpeng Motors entering the extended-range segment? Is it because extended-range vehicles are more attractive than pure electric ones? Can Xpeng Motors, which has fallen behind, catch up with Li Auto by adding extended-range models?

02

Are extended-range vehicles more attractive than pure electric vehicles?

Reviewing the brief history of the development of new energy vehicles in China, from the beginning of the development of new energy vehicles, BYD was the first to take the plunge, and the vast majority of the first batch of new forces in automotive manufacturing focused on pure electric vehicles. At that time, all market players believed that pure electric was the future.

However, at that stage, due to limitations in technological level, short driving range, slow charging, and other factors, the market and consumers did not have a high acceptance of pure electric vehicles. Pure electric vehicles were initially introduced to the commercial vehicle market.

For example, the earliest BYD taxis and buses deployed in Shenzhen. As the market matured, pure electric vehicles were gradually accepted by more and more individual consumers.

Around 2015, a host of new forces emerged in automotive manufacturing, with NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto as the three representatives. From the outset, these three new forces chose different paths.

Among them, Xpeng Motors focused on technology and youth, adhering to the pure electric route. NIO adopted a pure electric + battery swap model, targeting the mid-to-high-end luxury vehicle market to compete with BBA.

At that time, pure electric vehicles were the mainstream, but Li Auto chose the extended-range route, which was once controversial. Later, relying on its "dad car" label, Li Auto carved out a path primarily through its mid-to-large SUV extended-range models. To this day, the key to Li Auto's success in becoming the leader among new forces in automotive manufacturing is its extended-range technology.

After Li Auto's extended-range SUVs became a hit, the market, which originally believed that the extended-range route was technologically backward, was proven wrong by Li Auto. Unable to compete, others joined in, and more and more competitors entered the extended-range camp.

Two representatives of the later emerging extended-range forces were Leaping Auto, which was jokingly referred to by netizens as a cheaper alternative to Li Auto, and whose extended-range models became bestsellers. Leaping Auto not only sells well domestically but has now expanded into European and other international markets.

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