“For pure electric vehicles, longer range has meant ever larger battery packs. But in China’s premium segment, another solution is gaining ground: using smaller batteries more intensively, paired with a petrol engine. A small petrol engine that charges a moderately-sized battery delivers 1,000 km+ of total range without the cost or weight penalty of a 100 kWh+ pack. The IM LS8, Li Auto L9 Livis, Aito M9 and a wave of new launches at Beijing all take this route.”