China's EVs show us something remarkable

Electric cars have come a long way in a short time, and China’s EV market has shown us just how far they’ve come.

China is the world’s largest electric vehicle market — and the source of the majority of Australia’s EVs — and the latest data shows a remarkable stat.

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That’s an increase of about 25 per cent in half a decade, according to the data.

Those driving ranges are calculated via the more lenient China Light-duty Test Cycle (CLTC), rather than the benchmark WLTP used in Europe and Australia.

The data still shows that electric car driving range has improved by about a quarter in a short time.

In Australia the default range for a new EV is generally around 500km, dispelling the range anxiety myth.

New EVs from China and sold in Australia, such as the Zeekr 7X have a driving range from between 480km and 615km, and Tesla has just launched a new Chinese-built Model 3 RWD Long Range with up to 750km of range.

Deepal’s new E07 ute-SUV mash-up has a driving range of up to 550km and Kia’s China-sourced EV5 can be driven up to 555km, depending on the variant.

There are even more on the way if China is a guide, with the data showing more than 30 EVs on sale there with a driving range of more than 600km and 26 more with a range of more than 500km.

500km is the new expectation for buyers in Australia and manufacturers have responded with a wave of new models at or exceeding the range, with Chinese brands or China-sourced vehicles leading the charge.

The massive jump in electric driving range isn’t reserved to EVs. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs).

EREVs use a petrol engine purely as a generator to charge the battery, with the wheels driven only by electric motors. PHEVs use a combination of a petrol engine and electric motors fed by a battery to drive the wheels.

In China a PHEV with 100km of driving range is the new expectation with the majority boasting an EV-only driving limit of more than the century mark.

EREVs are even more, with the vast majority claiming an electric-only driving range of more than 150km.

This kind of performance hasn’t been fully realised in Australia where PHEVs and to a lesser extent EREVs are starting to gain traction.

Several new options from Chinese brands, such as BYD, Chery and MG are pushing the boundaries of the new tech.

Chery’s new Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid has a driving range of up to 170km in Australia.

What is even more astounding is China is doing it at a lower cost than rival makers, which is helping to boost the technology Down Under.