Li Auto’s Li Xiang: Range-extender technology is about user value, not the technical route

Gasgoo Munich- Li Auto CEO Li Xiang took to social media recently to address doubts that range-extender technology lacks sophistication. “The key to technology isn’t about which route you choose, he argued, “but whether you can deliver genuine value to users and take that value to the extreme.”

This statement is more than a vague declaration of position; it comes at a delicate inflection point for the industry. The range-extender market is weathering its steepest sales slide in five years, just as Li Auto navigates a critical transition from a pure range-extender strategy to a dual-track approach combining range extenders with pure battery-electric vehicles.

Li Xiang Counters the EREV Controversy with Data

The immediate trigger for Li Xiang’s comments was the fuel-efficiency performance of the all-new Li Auto L8 in long-distance testing.

Image source: @Li Xiang

Public data shows that under full load, an L8 Ultra completed the Wenzhou-to-Beijing run with a combined fuel consumption of 3.8 liters per 100 km; meanwhile, another L8 Livis traveled from Shanghai to Beijing, recording 5.0 liters per 100 km. Li Xiang used these results as proof of the range-extender’s “technological content.” The entire L8 lineup features a 72.7 kWh, 5C range-extender-specific ultra-fast charging battery, offering a CLTC pure electric range of 430 km and a total range of 1,670 km. Charging from 10% to 80% takes just 10 minutes.

Real-world data is just the entry point; the deeper backdrop is a structural inflection in the range-extender sector. According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), wholesale sales of range-extended models hit 95,000 units in May 2026, down 24.9% year-on-year — the steepest single-month drop in five years. The segment’s share of the new-energy market shrank from 10.3% a year earlier to 7.0%. Meanwhile, wholesale sales of pure electric models reached 886,000 units, up 16.6%. This shifting balance has reignited the argument that range extenders will…

Source