Avatr has unveiled an extended-range system called Kunlun, which will first be used in the Avatr 07 SUV.

Avatr Technology, the electric vehicle (EV) brand backed by Changan Automobile, CATL, and Huawei, has officially unveiled its extended-range system, becoming the latest EV maker to look to hybrids to boost sales.

Avatr unveiled the extended-range system, called Kunlun, at an event today, and it will first be used in the Avatr 07 SUV (sport utility vehicle).

By the end of this year, Avatr will release three extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) models equipped with the technology, the EV maker said.

Most of China's earliest EV startups initially targeted the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market, but experience over the past few years has shown that consumers prefer hybrids without range anxiety in the electrification transition.

Additionally, the huge success of Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) in the EREV market is further evidence of the acceptance of such vehicles.

New Chinese car makers including Leapmotor and Neta Auto, which originally offered only BEVs, have all started offering additional EREVs in the past few years.

Nio (NYSE: NIO), and Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) still only offer BEVs, and both have previously made it clear that they have no plans to launch EREVs.

EREVs are included in PEHVs, but they differ from traditional PHEVs in that they typically have larger battery packs as the sole source of power, thus providing the same driving experience as BEVs.

Avatr said it teamed up with CATL to create an EREV battery pack with a capacity of 39 kWh, which solves the problem of traditional EREVs that suffer from severe power degradation at low states of charge.

The pack has a peak discharge multiplier of 9 C at full charge and maintains a peak discharge multiplier of 7.7 C even at low power, Avatr said.

The pack can be charged from 30 percent to 80 percent in just 15 minutes, adding a CLTC pure electric range of 245 kilometers.

At full fuel and full charge, the EREV with the Kunlun extended-range system has a combined CLTC range of 1,152 kilometers.

The system is equipped with Avatr's own seven-in-one rear electric drive with a peak power of 231 kW.

The system has an internal combustion engine with a thermal efficiency of 44.39 percent and a maximum power generation of 100 kW. It can produce more than 3.63 kWh of electricity per liter of gasoline, the highest in its class, the company said.

The four-wheel-drive version of the Avatr 07 with the Kunlun system can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds on a full charge and 5.8 seconds on a low charge, according to the company.

The Avatr 07 can reach a top speed of 190 km/h on both full charge and low charge.

Avatr first teased the Avatr 07 on May 10, saying at the time that the SUV would be offered in both BEV and EREV variants.

The Avatr 07 will be Avatr's third model after the Avatr 11 SUV, Avatr 12 sedan and will be its first endeavor in the EREV segment.

Avatr was initially set up as Changan Nio by Changan and Nio on July 10, 2018. Currently Nio has substantially exited from the joint venture.

Avatr's sales performance has been lukewarm, with only 31,663 vehicles delivered in the whole of 2023.

In the January-July period of this year, Avatr delivered 32,655 vehicles, a year-on-year growth of 160.59 percent.

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