It's not just automotive powerhouses like Mercedes and Volvo preparing for an electric driven future; smaller sized players like Haval are also developing electric powertrains in an attempt to put them ahead of the curve. The Haval HB-02 idea is evidence of this, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain providing 65 km (40 mi) of pure EV motoring.
Also as becoming a handsome beast, the HB-02 shows off some clever plug-in hybrid technology from Haval. The car's powertrain combines a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine with a front-mounted electric motor, to get a total system torque of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft).
Just like most modern plug-in powertrains, Haval's concept has a couple of various drive modes. The default is hybrid mode, which automatically shuffles power in between the gasoline and electric motors for maximum efficiency, but lead-foots can switch to power mode to take complete advantage of the car's combined electric and gasoline output to get a 9 second sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph).
Even though they're just claims on a concept car in the moment, if Haval can handle to replicate them inside a production car it could throw a cat amongst the pigeons. After all, the BMW X5 xDrive40e can manage just 31 km (19 mi) in pure electric mode, and Volvo's XC90 T8 Hybrid will cover 40 km (25 mi) prior to the gasoline engine gets involved.
It is usually worth taking claimed fuel economy figures having a grain of salt, especially when large plug-in hybrids are concerned, but Haval is claiming fuel use figures of just 2.1 L/100km (112 US mpg).
The HB-02 was shown off in the Beijing Auto Exhibition, and is anticipated to find its way into production vehicles as early as next year.
