Plug-in hybrid cars, goal of 200 km of electric range

Manufacturers have set a new target for plug-in hybrids. If 100 km of electric range is now a reality for the best Phevs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) on the European market, the next goal for this type of car is 200 km with zero emissions. Even if it’s not easy to achieve. To get there, a plug-in hybrid must fit batteries of around 40 kWh, a capacity which is closer to that of an electric city car than to that of traditional plug-in hybrids. It is therefore not surprising that today, in Europe, i 200 km in electric are the prerogative of just one car, but in the meantime other manufacturers promise to get there soon.

LYNK & CO 08

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The only electric Phev with over 200 km that can be purchased today in Europe is the Lynk & Co 08, the third model from the manufacturer of the Chinese group Geely which is Volvo’s “neighbor” in Gothenburg. 4.82 meters in length and 1.92 meters in width for a load capacity of 540 litres, a value in line with the segment. However, the kWh of the battery, which is as large as that of a zero-emission city car, is not: almost 40 kWh, with particularly rapid direct current charging for the 85 kW segment, which allows you to recover from 10% to 80% in just over half an hour. A formula which, despite its weight of over 2,100 kg, allowed the car to be approved for 200 km of electric range in the Wltp cycle, a record value at the presentation and still unbeaten in the Old Continent today. The hybrid powertrain is made up of a 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine with 137 HP and a 208 HP electric unit, for 345 HP of total power. The Lynk & Co 08 is the first “almost electric” Phev to arrive in Europe, a car which thanks to its extensive autonomy can be used almost exclusively in electric mode for daily journeys and can then rely on the thermal unit on longer journeys.

BYD AND THE OTHERS

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During 2026, other PhEVs should arrive on the European market capable of reaching or exceeding 200 km in electric mode. Among these there would be Bydwhich with the Sealion 06 DM-i has already indicated – in the Chinese CLTC approval cycle, which is “milder” than ours – that it has the credentials to exceed, and quite a bit, 200 km of zero-emission travel (220 km). The capacity of the Byd Sealion 06 DM-i battery is not known, however we know that the powertrain, between the 1.5 liter combustion engine and the electric motor, can count on 238 HP of combined power, about 20 more than the previous model. BYD is one of those manufacturers that is working on plug-in hybrids with at least 200 km of electric power, but it is not the only one: they would also be in the game Omoda And Leapmotor. It remains to be seen whether this new generation of Phev will be able to carve out a stable space for itself on the market.