The first Volkswagen with a range-extending engine is a huge SUV

The missing piece of Volkswagen’s electrification puzzle is now in place, as the company introduces its first electric car with a range-extending gasoline engine. The identity card. Era 9X comes from China via local joint venture VW-SAIC and serves as a production-ready version of last year’s ID. Era concept.

The six-seat full-size SUV exudes a touch of Range Rover flair and heralds a new design language created specifically for VW models sold in China. A look at the technical specifications reveals that this is one of the largest vehicles ever launched by the brand. At 205 inches (5,207 mm) long, it eclipses the second-generation Atlas that was introduced in China last year as the Teramont Pro.

The identity card. Era 9X is 1,997 mm wide, 1,810 mm high and has a huge wheelbase of 3,070 mm. It’s longer than most of the VW Group’s large SUVs, except the long-wheelbase Bentley Bentayga. Moreover, the upcoming Audi Q9 could surpass this. Filings with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveal it to be predictably a porker, with the heaviest version tipping the scales at 2,700 kilograms.

But the car’s real highlight isn’t its imposing size; it’s the drivetrain. VW installs a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that functions solely as a generator to charge the battery. The four-cylinder engine belongs to the EA211 family and runs on the Miller cycle, with variable geometry turbocharger technology derived from Porsche.

The combustion engine produces 141 hp and works together with one or two electric motors. The base model uses a single rear-mounted engine that produces 295 horsepower. By choosing the setup with two engines and four-wheel drive, the total power increases to 510 hp. The single-motor variant comes with a 51.1 kWh battery, while buyers can upgrade to a larger 65.2 kWh pack. If you choose the dual-motor configuration, the larger battery comes standard.

VW claims the upgraded battery delivers a range of more than 250 miles on the forgiving CLTC cycle. Although total driving range has not been revealed, it will likely be more than 600 miles (965 kilometers), depending on the gas tank capacity.

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Source: Volkswagen

Although the ID card. Era 9X is unlikely to be sold outside of China, Bloomberg recently reported that VW is considering launching range-topping EVs in Europe and the United States.

At the same time, the new Scout sub-brand debuts the Terra pick-up and Traveler SUV, both with a naturally aspirated petrol engine as generator. With the Harvester option, these body-on-frame models offer an estimated total range of 500 miles (805 kilometers), including 150 miles (241 kilometers) of electric-only driving.

Photo by: Volkswagen

Taking Motor1s: It makes sense for VW to explore range-extending electric cars as the technology continues to gain traction in China, where the company has a strong presence through its joint ventures. Having a gasoline engine to supplement the battery should reduce range concerns and convince more buyers to switch from pure combustion vehicles.

Hopefully the technology will also catch on in other markets. Range extenders make sense because a pure EV requires a much larger battery to deliver a similar driving range, further increasing weight.

Beyond Scout suggest that BMW is considering bringing back range extenders after using the setup on the i3 for the past decade. Like VW, the Bavarians are considering equipping their largest SUVs with a gas engine that would serve solely as a generator, without a mechanical connection to the wheels.