Chehejia Unveils LI One Electric SUV with Distance Extension System that Covers 700 Kilometers

Beijing Chehejia Technology Ltd., a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) startup, unveiled its new electric SUV LI One yesterday, making it a strong contender to Tesla’s Model X.

Chehejia was founded by Li Xiang, one of the investors of NIO, a Chinese automobile manufacturer.

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Leading Ideal, the company’s newly launched intelligent EV brand, is an innovative product line that uses smart technology to improve EV driving experience. It is an all-electric luxury sports-utility vehicle powered by a front and rear dual-motor four-wheel-drive system with an acceleration time of 6.5 seconds per 100 km. The vehicle comes with six seats with an expandable option to make it seven.

The vehicle comes with an ultra-wide digital monitor splashed across the dashboard, a comprehensive AI system accessible by voice via multiple microphones stationed throughout the interior, a ventilation system that monitors PM levels, and double-layer soundproof glass among many more advanced functions.

The core and highlight of the LI One is its distance-extension power generation system, designed to address the concerns expressed by EV owners who need to drive a long way. Unlike the common hybrid vehicles that are primarily gasoline ones with a battery addition, a distance-extension EV is essentially an electric car equipped with a distance-extension system that can be powered by gasoline. When the car is low on battery, the system can charge the battery or generate electricity for driving directly.

In addition to using the distance-extension powering system, the LI One also comes with domestic slow charging and fast charging solutions. The former can replenish the battery in 7 hours at 7kW, while the latter can effectively charge up 80 percent of the battery within half an hour at 60kW. The total battery capacity of the LI One is 40.5kWh, and the available interior power is 37.2kWh.

The vehicle has achieved an aggregate mileage of more than 700 kilometers under the NEDC standard (180 km with pure battery power and 520 km with the distance-extension system). It would reportedly only lose about 5 percent of total mileage in extreme cold weather conditions, such as when temperatures drop 10 degree Celsius below zero.

The LI One was designed to better address China’s world-leading auto market, where SUVs make up 35 percent of the 14 million vehicles sold in the first half. Research for the LI One began as early as 2015 and has had more than 1,000 engineers working its case. It succeeded the company’s first model, which was a low-speed, cost-effective electric car aimed at making short trips.

The LI One will be available for pre-order starting in April next year and be in production in the fourth quarter of 2019.