It seems like the Swedish automaker, Volvo, has decided to up the ante as far as technology for hybrid vehicles are concerned. This is why, the company has developed three different prototypes of range extending electric vehicles (RE-EV), in an effort to find out the most effective and efficient way of implementing hybrid technology. The testing of these three RE-EV concepts is slated to start in 2012.
Similar to hybrid vehicles, an electric motor and a conventional combustion engine form part of the range extending EVs as well. But the difference here is that, in RE-EVs the combustion engine is not responsible for driving the vehicle. Instead, the combustion engine only generates electricity to charge the vehicles batteries. This system is known as a series connected setup.
The three different concepts of RE-EVs have been termed simply as Technical Concepts I, II and III. All of these concepts have been fitted with a 3-cylinder petrol engine that can be run on either E85 Ethanol or Petrol. All the three vehicles have an electric front-wheel drive system fitted to them.
The Technical Concept I is based on Volvo’s C30 model. The range-extender here is serially connected one after the other. It has a 45 kW petrol engine and a 40 liter fuel tank. The petrol engine has been connected to a 40 kW generator that can either drive the vehicle’s 82 kW electric motor or charge the vehicle’s battery to give the car an extended range. Range of the Technical Concept I is said to be more than 1100 Km.
When it comes to the Technical Concept II, things become a little bit different. Although the Technical Concept II is also based on the C30 model, it has a parallel connected RE which is different from the previous concept which had a series connected RE. The combustion engine in this concept delivers an output of 140 kW. Just like the first concept, the petrol engine in this version has been fitted towards the back end of the car. Here too, the engine has been connected to a 40 kW generator which helps in charging the car’s battery.
The Technical Concept III also has a parallel connected range extender. But it is based on a Volvo V60 model unlike the previous ones which were based on the Volvo C30 models. It has a 140 kW/187 HP turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, an 82 kW/110 HP electric motor, a 40 kW generator and a two-stage automatic transmission system. But this concept is different from the previous one as far as positioning of the drivetrains are concerned. In this concept the combustion engine, the electric motor, the generator and the gearbox, all have been placed under the bonnet of the car. This particular concept is powered solely by the electric motor at speeds less than 50km/h.
Via: Car advice
