How Leapmotor B10 Hybrid Ends EV Range Anxiety

Leapmotor is a brand that few people, outside of the motoring space, have heard of. The Chinese automaker is represented locally (and everywhere outside of China) by the Stellantis group. You may have heard of them. That umbrella covers the likes of Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot, Opel, Citroen, etc, etc, etc.

Stellantis has, until now, offered a single Leapmotor model called the C10. It has now doubled its local portfolio with the arrival of the B10, a hybrid that is competitively priced and offers plenty of tech along with wallet friendly fuel-consumption.

REEV tech

The B10 is not a conventional hybrid. Leapmotor uses REEV, or Range Extended Electric Vehicle, technology. This follows a much simpler rule than the hybrid systems many buyers already know: the electric motor always drives you forward. The 1,5-litre petrol engine never turns the wheels. It sits quietly in the background stepping in as a generator only when it needs to charge the 18,8 kWh battery.

A single electric motor sits atop the rear axle where it delivers 158 kW of power and 240 kW to the rear wheels. There is no gearbox in the traditional sense, no swapping between engine and motor during steady cruising, and no handover when power demand rises. The driver gets the instant response associated with battery-electric cars, with the added comfort of petrol backup when the trip stretches beyond the battery’s range.

The B10’s battery gives it up to 86 km of pure electric range. For the daily school run, the commute into Sandton, the crawl through traffic in Durban, or a week of short urban trips, that should cover a lot of life without waking the generator. Once the battery is depleted enough to need assistance, the system continues working to keep the car moving. Leapmotor claims a combined range of up to 900 km.

The B10 cabin

Leapmotor has wrapped the B10 around its LEAP 3.5 technological platform. The centre piece is a 14,6-inch HD touchscreen, which serves as the main interface for infotainment, vehicle settings and navigation. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included.

The connected side is handled through the Leapmotor App. From a phone, owners can lock or unlock the car remotely, switch on the air conditioning before setting off, check driving data and schedule charging sessions. Over-the-air software updates are part of the package too.

Behind the wheel

We attended the local introduction of the B10, where we got to learn about the new model from the brand’s local representatives. Uniquely, we were also offered the car straight from the event to drive for a few days, an extended launch drive, as it were.

We spent a few days, including a weekend integrating the B10 into our daily life. We came away with a few immediate impressions. Firstly, it is a lot smaller than we imagined when we saw it in pics. As a result it is fairly easy to thread through traffic and park.

The sense of EV driving makes it pretty smooth and silent in operation, which holds particularly true for urban commuting. Hit the open road and you’ll just hear the petrol engine switching on and off to help refill the battery. If you have access to a charger then you could a lot more EV only use than we did.

Pricing

At launch, there are two derivatives on offer. The Style is priced at R499 900 and the Design at R549 900. Both come with a five-year, 100 000 km warranty and service plan. The two variants are mechanically identical and differ just slightly in terms of standard spec.

B10 Hybrid EV specifications

Model: Leapmotor B10 Hybrid EV
Body style: Compact SUV
Powertrain: REEV, electric motor drives the wheels, 1,5-litre petrol engine acts as generator
Battery: 18.8 kWh
Pure electric range: Up to 86 km
Combined range: Up to 900 km
Infotainment: 14,6-inch 2.5K HD central touchscreen
Connectivity: Leapmotor App, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, OTA updates

Summary

The B10 Hybrid EV is Leapmotor’s answer to a common complaint from South African drivers who want to make the switch to an EV: range anxiety. Some people may enjoy the smooth shove of an electric car but do not want to plan every trip around our meagre charging infrstructure. The compact SUV tries to remove that uncertainty from the ownership equation. It brings an electric motor that always drives the wheels, a petrol engine that only makes electricity, and a claimed 900 km combined range.