Li Auto & Xiaomi are introducing "3 years / 30,000 km" EREV service intervals. Credit: Daniel Andraski, image modified by CarNewsChina. Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member China’s range-extended EV (EREV) makers are moving to 3-year & 30,000 km oil-change intervals, in a bid to close the gap with almost-maintenance-free EVs. Li Auto introduced the change for its L8 and L9 EREV SUVs, and Xiaomi made the same pledge for its upcoming Skynomad SUVs. With ever-increasing battery sizes and EV ranges, Chinese EREV owners are accustomed to day-to-day driving in pure-EV mode, charging overnight at home and only firing up the range extender on long highway trips. While EREVs offer flexibility and eliminate EV range anxiety, attention is now turning to their service costs, with some owners forced to have oil changed even when the range extender is not used during the entire service interval. Li Auto and Xiaomi’s latest strategies can be interpreted as their responses to this concern, minimising the maintenance and upkeep gaps between EREVs and EVs, and attract buyers torn between the two technologies. Xiaomi’s Skynomad servicing plans While the two brands have offered the same service intervals, they differ slightly in how they implement them. Skynomad EREV SUVs will require an initial service 1 year or 10,000 km after delivery, and subsequent oil changes will occur every 3 years or 30,000 km. Xiaomi says it has partnered with Shell for lubrication and has specified a low-viscosity API SQ 0w-16 oil for the range extender. Oil capacity for the 1.5T Harbin Dongan (东安动力) engine, however, is currently unknown. The upcoming Xiaomi Skynomad N70 & N90. Credit: Xiaomi Li Auto’s servicing Li Auto claims that the new L8 and L9 SUVs are equipped with “intelligent oil life monitoring systems” and has used this to justify the elimination of a break-in period. Once owners take delivery, they will need to follow a “3 years / 30,000 km” service interval, and no initial service is required. Li Auto is charging 1,180 yuan (174 USD) for a “3 years / 30,000 km” oil change. Credit: Electric Planet The brand has also partnered with Shell to offer a “Li Auto-exclusive super-low-viscosity long-life” engine oil, though it hasn’t released any details on the oil grade or capacity. The Li Auto L9. Credit: Li Auto Warranty concerns & global markets The extended service intervals require exotic, specially formulated engine oils, giving the automaker greater control over the ownership experience, and may discourage drivers from doing their own servicing. Electric Planet, a NEV-focused Chinese outlet, reports that Li Auto staff warned against servicing their cars outside the dealer network. The automaker’s contacts replied that even if oils of the same grade and standard were used, it was “highly possible” that the warranty would be “impacted”. This may be one way to claw back profits lost to China’s brutal price war. With most Chinese automakers facing razor-thin margins in both vehicle manufacturing and after-sales services, locking in customers by threatening to revoke warranties would guarantee a long-term source of revenue. For the L8 and L9, Li Auto charges 1,180 yuan (174 USD) for a “3 years / 30,000 km” oil change at an official service centre. Outside the brand network, though, a 4-litre 0w-16 Shell oil change can be done at almost half price, with Tmall Car Care, an auto-care subsidiary of tech giant Alibaba, quoting 600 yuan (89 USD) for the job. It’s also unclear whether the same service intervals will be offered outside China. While Xiaomi is an automaker exclusive to China for now, Li Auto is making inroads into Central Asian and Middle Eastern markets. The differing climates, road conditions and user preferences may require different servicing strategies. How do other brands service NEVs in China Apart from Flash Charging EVs, BYD also offers PHEV models under the DM-i moniker. Its hybrid cars in China come with dedicated EV and HEV odometers, with specific service items corresponding to different EV and HEV intervals. An EV-mode-heavy driver with home charging, for example, would see fewer trips to the dealer than a typical HEV driver and would require fewer oil changes over the same period. As for China’s joint ventures, Mazda requires “1 year / 10,000 km” oil changes for its EREV models, the EZ-6 sedan and EZ-60 SUV. This comes regardless of the amount of driving done in EV and EREV mode. The same goes for Volkswagen’s latest NEV SUV, the ID Era 9X. A 3-year, 30,000 km service interval would represent a three-fold leap over the industry average, and potentially mean fewer trips to the dealer. Exotic oils and locked-in warranties, however, might wipe out any potential savings for the owner. Source: Electric Planet (Dian Dong Xing Qiu), Xiaomi Skynomad, Li Auto Most important news in your inbox. Recaps · scheduled All you need, in one email. Instant alerts · real-time Ping me when an article goes live. 0 of 27 topics selected Bundle into one email per day — instead of one email per article No spam · Unsubscribe with one click · Change settings anytime
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