Are range extender EVs any good?
What do you think of these? To me they seem to be the answer given the issues of finding chargers and general range anxiety. The only ones I have heard of though are old BMW i3 and a new Mazda with a Wankel rotary engine. Are you permitted to run the extender engine and leave the car unattended? Just wondering why there are so few available.
Asked on 16 July 2024 by Peter Lewis
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A number of manufacturers have trialled range extenders. They add complexity and weight, though - most buyers will be better looking for a pure-electric vehicle or, if they're not ready for that, a conventional hybrid car. BMW dropped the range-extender i3 in 2018 because advances in battery technology meant the regular i3 could travel further on a charge. Today, BMW i3 Range Extender models are seen as less desirable on the used market as they're more likely to go expensively wrong.
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electric cars
range extenders
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