The EREV Imperative: Why We Need Electric Vehicles With Range Extenders - Right Now.

By Fred Surr, EREVNow 

July 17th, 2025

Despite growing interest - 18% of American drivers say they want an EV as their next car - fewer than 1% of vehicles on the road are electric. So, what’s holding people back?

Two words: range anxiety. What if I can’t find a charger when I need it?

“85% of [charging] is done at home," says Stewart Stropp, Executive Director of EV Intelligence at J.D. Power. "But it’s the exceptional use case - like a vacation road trip - that’s holding shoppers back". (Electronics 360, 2023).

They’re not wrong.  Charging on long trips is not easy in most places today.  Building a reliable national charging network is an $800 billion project, and even in the best-case scenario, it would take years. As a result, most Americans still see EVs as a nice idea that’s not ready.

Enter the Extended-Range Electric Vehicle, or EREV - a technology ready to address the gap between public desire and practical infrastructure.

What’s an EREV, and Why Now?

An EREV is a fully electric vehicle with a small gasoline engine under the hood, the sole purpose of which is to generate electricity when the battery runs low.   For EREV owners on long trips, the gas station is their charging station. “An EREV... drives like [an EV],” says WIRED reporter Aarian Marshall. “The gas engine doesn’t drive the wheels. [Its only purpose is to] recharge the battery, working as a small generator to give it extra mileage on the go”. (Wired 2024-11-03)

EREVs aren’t hypothetical – they’re available now.  But Just the US lags behind. In China, EREVs are already a mainstream phenomenon. According to the China Passenger Car Association, EREV sales jumped 79% in 2024, reaching 1.2 million units - more than total EV sales in the US. 

While a few EREVs like the Mazda EX-30 are available in Europe, you can’t currently buy one in the US.  But that’s about to change.  Automakers from Volkswagen to Stellantis are bringing the concept westward. “Scout’s EREV seems to be stoking interest,” WIRED’s Marshall notes. “The company is 'seeing that enthusiasm reflected in reservation counts’”. (Wired 2024-11-03)

A Coordinated Push, Not a Waiting Game

EREVs may be gaining ground, but without a coordinated and deliberate cross sector push, they will never reach the critical mass needed to reshape the U.S. market.

EREVNow, a first-of-its-kind connection and advocacy platform, has launched to accelerate that effort. Our goal? To unifiy rally automakers, regulators, engineers, and marketers around a shared vision: bringing EREVs to market at scale, at a price consumers can afford - notably, without waiting a decade for public chargers to catch up.

"EREVs could help smooth the transition from ICE vehicles to BEVs by serving as a bridge technology for consumers while charging infrastructure is improved and expanded," according to a 2024 McKinsey report. " Car buyers hesitant to purchase EVs could welcome EREVs as an option, provided manufacturers can make the technology accessible and clearly distinguish EREVs from PHEVs". (McKinsey & Company, Feb 2024 report)

Since an EREV only needs 150 miles of battery range (in order to cover 90% of daily driving, according to the US Department of Transportation), battery packs can be smaller, reducing weight and cost.  It should be possible to put an EREV with a total range of 400 miles on the market for under $40,000. On those few days you need to go farther, no problem, just top off the small gas tank and keep going. The average driver will still cut their annual emissions 85-90%.

Cutting Through the Confusion

But there’s a communications problem: most consumers, regulators, and even car dealers don’t know about or understand what an EREV is.

In a McKinsey survey of over 2,800 U.S. car buyers, 48% said they were “overwhelmed by the number of powertrains currently available.” Many couldn’t distinguish between EREVs, PHEVs, hybrids, and BEVs.” (McKinsey & Company, Feb 2024 report)

That’s where EREVNow comes in - as a platform for information sharing, storytelling, and collaboration. The organization will be launching convenings, conducting consumer research, and advising automakers, car dealers, and policy makers on how to bring EREVs to market that align with what real people actually want: low-emission vehicles that deliver peace of mind, plug in at home, and keep going when needed.

It’s Not Just the Tech -  It’s the Timing

EREVs are not new. What’s new is the convergence of market need, policy alignment, consumer openness, and manufacturing capability. And perhaps most importantly, a growing realization that perfect infrastructure is the enemy of practical progress.

As Kathy Harris of the Natural Resources Defense Council puts it: “While the country continues to build out a robust charging network, EREVs can be a good choice”. (Wired 2024-11-03)

Or as EREVNow’s founding vision states: “We don’t need to build a new car company. We don’t need to build a nationwide charging network. We don’t need drivers to change their driving habits.”

We just need to get the word out - and create a coordinated effort.