When you think about it, Nissan’s e-Power tech makes a whole lot of sense. One can run solely on electric power with the engine’s sole purpose being a generator to recharge the batteries. It’s not exactly zero emissions, but that’s one way to cure range anxiety.
It’s known as a series hybrid system, and we’ve seen it in various applications. However, no one has installed that kind of powertrain in a pickup truck. That is, until now.Hyundai looks poised to take on its biggest challenge yet with the all-new Santa FeSurprisingly, it’s not Nissan to come up with a series hybrid pickup truck. Instead, it hails from China in the form of the Changan Hunter EREV. With that, Changan can claim to be the first to bring an extended range electric vehicle to market.
Like Nissan’s e-Power, the engine in the Hunter EREV’s sole job to keep its batteries charged. In this case, it’s a 2.0-liter turbocharged mill that packs 188hp. Mind you, that engine isn’t connected to the drive wheels. That’s to keep the 31.18-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack topped up as quickly and as long as possible.CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓ Watch now The Changan Hunter EREV is available with either rear or four-wheel drive.
Payload capacity for the standard model is rated at 495kg due to the added weight of the electric drive components. While it’s not quite a heavy-duty workhorse just yet, it does offer an interesting and electrified alternative to diesel in this segment. Who knows, we might see this sort of tech applied to the more mainstream models in the future.
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