Leapmotor C10: this competitor to the Tesla Model Y gains a range extender
Leapmotor, a Chinese brand marketed by Stellantis in Europe, made its debut there with the T03 and the C10. If the first distinguished itself by becoming the cheapest electric car on the French market, the C10 SUV stood out a little less. Positioned in the same segment as the Tesla Model Y, it struggles to stand out and its maximum range of 420 km may seem a little limited.
The Leapmotor C10 will, however, gain a new version that is quite different since it is equipped with a range extender. Called REEV, for range extender electric vehicle (electric car with range extender), it will be presented at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show (January 10 to 19).
This architecture, popularized in particular by the BMW i3 REx, is quite unique in Europe where only the Mazda MX-30 R-EV SUV and the LEVC TX “London” taxi are equipped with it. However, it is important to remember that range extender electric cars work in the same way as plug-in hybridsmuch more common in Europe, except that their hybridization is done in series only, not allowing their internal combustion engine to directly drive the wheels. It can therefore only be used to recharge the battery, in turn powering one or more electric motors.
Electric autonomy divided by three
In the case of the C10 REEV, it is a 95 hp 1.5 liter gasoline engine which serves as a generator for a 28.4 kWh battery, or less than half the capacity of the pack of the 100% electric version, which peaks at 67 kWh. In fact, you will have to be content with 145 km of electric range, or barely more than a third of the range of the 100% electric version, which however remains greater than the range of rechargeable hybrid cars, but sometimes by a little. A Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid, for example, displays up to 128 km of electric range.
The C10 REEV is equipped with a 158 kW (218 hp) electric motor which drives its rear axle. It should make it possible to recover half of its electric range in 18 minutes of charging at a fast terminal, with a maximum power of 65 kW, again closer to the world of plug-in hybrids than to that of electrics. Equipped with a 50 l tank, Leapmotor announces a total range of 950 km for its C10 REEV and consumption approved at only 0.4 l/100 km which, as for plug-in hybrids, can only be achieved by recharging his car as often as possible.
Plug-in hybrid and electric cars with range extenders, losing ground in Europe, could regain popularity with the interest of Chinese manufacturers in these technologies. They allow them to bypass the countervailing customs duties introduced by the EU against electric cars produced in China, which do not concern either plug-in hybrids or electric range extenders, approved in the same category.
The price of the Leapmotor C10 REEV has not yet been communicated, but could be lower than that of its 100% electric version, currently offered from €34,900.
