Volvo is to run a test programme using range extenders as the next step in the company’s electrification strategy.
The project, supported by the Swedish Energy Agency and the EU, will encompass three potential technology combinations and will get under way in the first quarter of 2012.
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The move comes as Opel-Vauxhall launches the range-extended Ampera in Europe. Volvo’s three technologies involve three-cylinder petrol engines being installed to complement electric drive to the front wheels. All the variants feature brake energy regeneration. The engines can run on both petrol and ethanol (E85).
Two of the solutions are based on the Volvo C30 Electric. In both cases, the standard battery pack has been reduced in size to make room for the combustion engine and its fuel tank.
The 60hp engine is installed under the rear load compartment floor and is connected to a 40 kW generator. The power it generates is used primarily to drive the car’s 111hp electric motor, but the driver can also choose to let the generator charge the battery, thus increasing the car’s operating range on electricity.
The Range Extender increases the electric car’s range by up to 1,000 km – on top of the 110 km range provided by the battery pack.
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By GlobalDataA second concept gives the C30 a more powerful 3-cyl engine at the rear and the difference between this and the first solution is the parallel connection, whereby the turbocharged 190hp engine primarily drives the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. This gives a better fuel efficiency rating when driving with the combustion engine cruising on the highway. Via a 40kW generator the battery can also be charged to give the car increased range on electricity alone.
Here too the electric motor is a 111 hp unit. The two power sources give the car more than 30 hp in total, and acceleration from 0-100 km/h of less than six seconds. The Range Extender increases the electric car’s range by more than 1,000 km – in addition to the range of up to 75 km provided by the car’s battery pack.
The third concept is based on the Volvo V60 with parallel-connected range extender with the entire drive package is installed under the bonnet at the front. The 111 hp electric motor is supplemented with a three-cylinder petrol turbo engine producing 190hp, a two-stage automatic transmission and a 40 kW generator. Power from the combustion engine drives the front wheels via the gearbox and recharges the battery pack whenever needed.
Up to 50 km/h, the car is always powered solely by electricity. The combustion engine is activated at higher speeds. What is more, it charges the battery pack when its charge drops below a predetermined level.
The battery pack is located under the rear load floor and it gives the driver a range of 50 km on electricity alone. The car also has a 45 litre tank for petrol or E85.
With this technology, the Range Extender increases the car’s total range by more than 1,000 kilometres.
Derek Crabb, Vice President Powertrain Engineering, said: “This is an exciting expansion of our increasing focus on electrification. Battery cost and size mean that all-electric cars still have a relatively limited operating range. With the Range Extender, the electric car has its effective range increased by a thousand kilometres – yet with carbon dioxide emissions below or way below 50 g/km.
“These three projects allow us to evaluate the Range Extender’s various possibilities. As with the C30 Electric and V60 Plug-in Hybrid, the goal is to make the cars exceptionally CO2-lean without compromising on customer requirements such as comfort, driving pleasure and practicality.”
