Many users always have range anxiety when buying electric heavy-duty trucks, worrying that the battery range will be insufficient to support their operating routes, thereby significantly compromising timeliness and convenience. Previously, users who “want both”—fearing that the shortcomings of electric heavy-duty trucks would affect their use while desiring the excellent economic benefits of such vehicles—had no choice. Now, Yutong has brought a brand-new solution: the T400RE extended-range tractor.
400kWh Battery + 90kW Extended-Range System: Bid Farewell to Range Anxiety
The design concept of the Yutong T400RE is “electricity-first, oil-electric complementation.” In other words, the vehicle mainly uses electricity as its power source in daily use. When the vehicle is still over 100 kilometers away from a charging pile, users can activate the extended-range system to power the vehicle to the charging pile for recharging. This design balances emergency needs, timeliness, and convenience, allowing users to flexibly recharge according to their own transportation distance.
If you still don’t understand, let’s put it in more down-to-earth terms: Suppose the vehicle has a range of 300 kilometers, but the destination is 400 kilometers away, with tight schedules or no charging piles along the way. The missing 100 kilometers can be covered by the extended-range system, and you can recharge the vehicle once you reach the destination. The Yutong T400RE extended-range heavy-duty truck is designed for short-distance transportation with non-fixed routes, day-round trips, and working conditions such as mountainous areas and mines—filling the gaps of pure electric heavy-duty trucks.
The vehicle adopts a technical route of “large battery capacity + small extended-range system,” equipped with a 400kWh lithium iron phosphate battery in an underfloor layout, which effectively lowers the vehicle’s center of gravity. Depending on working conditions, the pure electric range is approximately 300 kilometers.
Above the battery is the vehicle’s extended-range system, which adopts Yuchai’s 90kW extended-range system solution—equivalent to a fast-charging power bank that can provide an additional 600 kilometers of range. It is calibrated to operate when the vehicle’s SOC (State of Charge) is between 20% and 90%, and the extended-range system will start automatically when the battery level drops below 10%.
Since this extended-range system runs on diesel, it features low fuel consumption, high power generation efficiency, and a long service life—making it suitable for commercial vehicles with large battery capacity and operating in harsh conditions.
The extended-range system is equipped with a 150L original fuel tank. With a full tank of fuel and a fully charged battery, the vehicle’s comprehensive range can reach 1,000 kilometers, matching the range of pure electric heavy-duty trucks with 1,000kWh batteries. In addition to refueling, urea needs to be added because the vehicle’s extended-range system meets the National VI B emission standards for low environmental impact. Adding fluids is no different from that of ordinary truck engines.
From left to right, the components inside the extended-range system are the after-treatment device, the extended-range unit, and the radiator—which explains why an exhaust pipe extends from the left side. Its layout is basically the same as the longitudinal engine layout of trucks, except that accessories such as the urea tank are placed at the top.
The vehicle offers two driving modes: EV (pure electric) and HEV (hybrid/extended-range). Next to these two modes, there is also a forced power generation button. This function is mainly used for the driver to actively recharge the battery across the entire SOC range.
The vehicle adopts a central drive + 6-speed AMT combination, which is consistent with that of the ordinary T400 tractor in terms of powertrain. Its motor has a peak power of 480kW, and a 500kW motor is available as an option. The transmission is the Fast 6E240 transmission dedicated to electric heavy-duty trucks. The powertrain is reliable and stable, with sufficient power reserve and high transmission efficiency—also helping to save energy consumption.
The rear axle uses a HanDe single-reduction axle with dual parallel axles, equipped with an inter-axle differential lock and an inter-wheel differential lock—greatly enhancing the vehicle’s escape capability and driving force. The tires are Giti 12R22.5 tubeless tires, and the rims are lightweight steel wheels, with a chassis curb weight of 10.4 tons.
The vehicle comes standard with 500A dual-gun fast charging, and 600A dual-gun fast charging is available as an option. When the charging current is sufficient, the time to charge from 20% to 80% SOC can be controlled within 45 minutes, enabling fast recharging and allowing the vehicle to quickly return to operation.
Optimized Cab Exterior, Further Reduced Wind Resistance Coefficient
The Yutong T400RE in the live shot features a new cab exterior design. A U-shaped chrome trim strip is added to the closed front grille, matching the fresh and elegant ice lake blue metallic paint—making the overall appearance of the vehicle extremely exquisite. At the same time, the bumper has been lowered, which not only reduces the wind resistance coefficient but also improves the vehicle’s visual appeal.
If you look at the side of the cab, you will find that the cab design of the Yutong T400RE has a unique feature: it adopts a wedge-shaped front cab, a design rarely seen in China. This means the front of the vehicle is not a fully flat shape but has a certain inclination angle. Similar designs can be found in high-end heavy-duty trucks such as the Yellow River AERO7 and Volvo FH AERO. Compared with conventional flat-front heavy-duty trucks, the wedge-shaped front has better aerodynamic optimization and a lower wind resistance coefficient—helping to save energy consumption during high-speed driving.
A National VI emission label is attached to the door, which is a unique identity symbol of the Yutong T400RE extended-range version. If you are not familiar with this product, you might be confused at first glance, even mistakenly thinking that the battery pack can emit exhaust gas.
The cab of the Yutong T400RE uses a four-point air suspension, paired with a multi-functional air-suspension seat with damping adjustment, height adjustment, and lumbar support—providing the driver with good riding comfort. The seat also has a one-click inflation/deflation function, making it more convenient for getting on and off the vehicle.
The cab has a flat-floor structure, with the floor bulge only 10cm high—greatly improving the driver’s mobility and spatial experience inside the vehicle. It is much more convenient to go to the rear bunk for rest compared to cabs with raised floors.
It comes standard with a multi-functional steering wheel with cruise control, Bluetooth calling, and other functions. The instrument panel is a digital LCD display, and the vehicle is equipped with one-click start. The dashboard is standard with an MP3 player with Bluetooth function, and a large-screen vehicle machine can be installed as an option.
The size of the rear bunk has been widened, and the bunk is arranged at a low height—greatly improving the driver’s resting experience on the bunk. For medium-short distance transportation working conditions, such a resting environment is relatively “luxurious” among vehicles of the same class.
Conclusion
Extended-range heavy-duty trucks are relatively new at present. They can fill the gap of pure electric heavy-duty trucks in long-distance transportation and further expand the vehicle’s operating radius. At the same time, they have an incomparable cost-performance advantage over heavy-duty trucks with ultra-large battery capacity—after all, the purchase price of an ultra-large capacity battery is much higher than that of an extended-range system. If you engage in medium-short distance transportation where the operating radius slightly exceeds the 400kWh battery range, pursue transportation timeliness, and do not want to invest too much cost, then the Yutong T400RE extended-range tractor is a perfect solution.
