EREVs also have some manufacturing advantages, says Steven Ewing, who directs editorial content at Edmunds. Details on the Scout’s production are scarce, but at least the Ramcharger uses components and technology that Stellantis already incorporates into other cars. “We’re not introducing this giant new propulsion system,” Ewing says. On the downside of EREV (and PHEV): it will always be expensive to put two powertrains in one vehicle.
A victory on emissions?
Some climate advocates, who hope the world will quickly transition to battery electric vehicles to avoid the worst of climate change, say EREVs could be part of a cleaner transportation system, even if the design still uses gasoline .
“The future is all electric,” says Kathy Harris, who directs the clean vehicle policy program at the Natural Resources Defense Councilan environmental defense group. “But many drivers are concerned about the prospect of going all-electric. As the country continues to build a strong charging network, EREVs may be a good option for some of them.”
EREVs could generate fewer emissions than their PHEV cousins because drivers can’t simply opt to skip charging and drive on gasoline alone, a phenomenon that some researchers worry is degrading the real-life emissions output of many plug-ins.
Other researchers are less convinced by automakers’ “bridge technology” arguments, but say EREVs could be useful anyway. EREVs are appearing in heavy vehicles like trucks and SUVs because they require more battery power to move, especially when they are hauling or towing. The technology could obviate complaints from, for example, some Ford F-150 Lightning owners, who say they want to use their all-electric trucks for work and carrying tools, but can’t do enough on a single charge. Full battery electricity may never be suitable for everyone.
“For those drivers who live in rural areas or who have driving patterns that require them to travel long distances every day, a range extender with a very efficient generator can be a great technology,” says Gil Tal, who directs the Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California Davis. “I think that’s going to be the way we get to 100 percent electric.”
Older technology, new interest
Technically, the Chevrolet Volt, which in 2010 represented General Motors’ first modern foray into electric vehicle technology, was an EREV, although it was marketed as a PHEV. Jaguar intended for a 2010 concept car, the C-X75, to enter limited production in 2013, but canceled the project amid the Great Recession. (A C-X75 appeared in the James Bond film. Spectrumand a design company turned out gas conversionbut otherwise the car never saw the light). A few years later, the BMW i3 EV came with a range extension option, with a very small generator that gave drivers a few extra miles to reach a charger, statistically. But that choice wasn’t popular with buyers, according to Edmunds data.
The story of EREV began to change in China. Chinese car manufacturer Auto Li It was a global outlier in 2019 when it presented its first model, the Li One, an extended-range SUV. That year, EREVs accounted for 1 percent of all PHEV sales, according to research firm BloombergNEF. But by 2023, Li Auto had brought EREVs to a 28 percent share of PHEV sales, accounting for 9 percent of all EV sales in China. It’s not a huge proportion, but the technology “has been transformative in a fairly short period of time,” says Corey Cantor, a BloombergNEF analyst who covers electric vehicles. The world could be learning from that experience.
