JAECOO J7 PHEV can do up to 1,427 kms on a single tank and charge

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have a long history, going back to 1900 when Ferdinand Porsche built what has been considered the first HEV in the world. However, in the decades that followed, the HEV concept wasn’t developed much until the beginning of the 21^st century when interest in electrified powertrains started to grow.

Electrified powertrains have an electric motor doing some or all of the work of moving the car. They may work with the petrol engine and run together or separately, depending on the conditions. The most advanced electrified powertrain would be the battery electric type where there is no combustion engine at all and only an electric motor (or motors).

HEVs started off with a self-charging system where the battery pack was recharged while the car moves. This already provided advantages of reduced fuel consumption (the electric motor does some of the work so less fuel is used) and also exhaust emissions.

From HEV to PHEV
Then the HEV system evolved into the PHEV system which stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This is a hybrid system but the difference is that a bigger battery pack is installed, increasing performance and extending range considerably. The battery pack can be recharged to carry more energy and when it has a lot of energy, it can even power the car on electricity alone.

Many automakers now have models with PHEV drivetrains and the typical ranges are 900 kms or more. You have to recharge periodically like a full EV but if you can’t, it is still possible to run on just the petrol engine though that’s not good.

JAECOO also has a PHEV version of its J7 premium SUV and in a test in China, the SUV was able to travel 1,300+ kms on a single tank of fuel. The model will soon be launched in the Malaysian market so JAECOO Malaysia has done its own long-distance run to see just how far the J7 PHEV can travel in local conditions.

Singapore to Hat Yai
The exercise was carried out recently with 5 vehicles which travelled from a starting point in Singapore, all the way up the peninsular of Malaysia and ended in Hat Yai, Thailand. On this very long drive, all the vehicles exceeded the 1,200-km range (without recharging), with one covering 1,427.5 kms.

During the drive, the J7 PHEV covered a distance of 947 kms running with the engine and also achieving a pure electric range of 108 kms (18 kms more than the factory claim). Overall, the fuel consumption of the PHEV worked out to be 28.6 kms/litre, which surpassed the standard of 15.1 kms/litre.

“We are incredibly proud to finally demonstrate the JAECOO J7 PHEV’s performance to the local market. It has truly exceled when put to the test during the course of this journey, a testament to the JAECOO brand promise of delivering best-in-class vehicles. In addition to being the only PHEV with a DC (direct current) charging capability that allows faster recharging, our Super Hybrid System technology is the first in its class here in Malaysia. We are excited for our customers to enjoy the benefits of the JAECOO J7 PHEV very soon,” said JAECOO Malaysia Vice-President, Emily Lek.

Launch in February
The J7 PHEV will be launched in February and for now, it is known that the 2-wheel drive
variant will be assembled locally at Chery Malaysia’s own plant in Shah Alam Selangor, The plant is currently also assembling the J7 which is priced from RM138,800.

JAECOO J7 PHEV covers 1,300+ kms on single tank of fuel