The electronic stopping cross sections for 4He ions incident on C and Ni targets are calculated with five different formulas and the results are compared with experimental data.A universal formula based on the BK model is considered suitable for the intermediate energy region.Effects of the electronic stopping cross section on the mean projected ranges are investigated by using a linear differential equation derived by Biersack.It is concluded that by choosing an appropriate electronic stopping formula the calculations can be in good agreement with experimental data.