Changan Hunter REEV pickup truck added to DOE list; launching soon?

Electrification has made its way to pickup trucks in the market when Foton launched the Tunland V7 and V9 at this year’s MIAS; this could be the next one.

We were able to get a hold of the latest list of recognized vehicles from the Department of Energy (DOE), and surprise, surprise; the Changan Hunter REEV pickup truck has been classified under the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) category.

After having its world premiere last March, the REEV in the Changan Hunter stands for Range Extended Electric Vehicle. In this type of hybrid powertrain, electric motors drive the wheels while an internal combustion engine acts as a generator to charge up the batteries and extend driving range, hence the name.

The approval covers the AWD dual motor variant of the Changan Hunter REEV. This means, it’s the variant that puts out 258 PS and 470 Nm of torque from its two electric motors that are powered by a 31.8 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP).

In this setup, the Changan Hunter REEV gets an all-electric range of up to 180 km, but thanks to the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine that acts as range extender, the pickup truck can cover up to 1,031 kilometers. Much like the recently launched BYD Sealion, the Changan Hunter REEV can be plugged in to a Type 2 AC charger or a DC fast charger to juice up its batteries.

In terms of styling, the Changan Hunter REEV could be positioned as a lifestyle truck similar to the likes of the Ranger Wildtrak, Hilux Conquest, and the Triton Athlete with an aggressively-designed front end, overfenders, sports bar, and a functional roof rail.

Based on the homologation documents, the Changan Hunter REEV that we’re getting in the country could be one of the biggest pickup trucks in the market once it’s launched, as it measures 5630 mm long, 1930 mm wide and 1885 mm tall.

Given that hybrids coming from outside the ASEAN region now benefit from zero excise taxes, the Changan Hunter REEV has the makings of being a competitively-priced plug-in hybrid in the pickup segment should Changan PH play its cards right.