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Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

wsj.com

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Re: Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

#11

Post by brookst »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #4
guiriduro wrote: post #3

"New"? Like hybrids haven't been around forever?

This is EREV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) where the fossil fuel engine is used solely to charge the battery, as opposed to a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) where it can also drive the wheels. Either way, the cost is that the vehicle has the complexity of both systems. The benefit is variable, YMMV (Your milage may vary). There must be cases where it's a good idea. Especially at present, while the energy…

Wait, how does one of these new extended range EV’s have the complexity of both systems?

To me it looks like it has the complexity of a pure EV with generator in the back seat, and the charging cord plugged into the generator. Which does away with much of the complexity, in part because the generator doesn’t have to turn the wheels.

Re: Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

#12

Post by derideor »

butterknife wrote: post #9

BMW i3 REx with range extending petrol engine was released in 2014.

I drove an i3 rex, first generation. The gas motorcycle engine loved breaking down, due to disuse. Such an unreliable offence of crap. According to the dealership mechanic, the engine was packaged in a way that made the fluids collect in places they shouldn't.

Re: Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

#14

Post by irishcoffee »

I worked on unmanned ground vehicles that did this... 10 years ago. In fact we designed them from scratch.

FWIW, now you have all the same joys of engine maintenance that one has with a traditional ICE car: oil changes, oil filter changes, spark plug replacement, starter replacement, coolant, probably an alternator, etc, along with needing to worry about an IG bolted on to the side of the engine connected to an MV bus. It is a complex design.

The maintenance on these will be quite expensive.

Re: Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

#15

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

brookst wrote: post #11
SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is EREV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) where the fossil fuel engine is used solely to charge the battery, as opposed to a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) where it can also drive the wheels. Either way, the cost is that the vehicle has the complexity of both systems. The benefit is variable, YMMV (Your milage may vary). There must be cases where it's a good idea. Especially at present, while the energy…

Wait, how does one of these new extended range EV’s have the complexity of both systems? To me it looks like it has the complexity of a pure EV with generator in the back seat, and the charging cord plugged into the generator. Which does away with much of the complexity, in part because the generator doesn’t have to turn the wheels.

> Wait, how does one of these new extended range EV’s have the complexity of both systems

because it obviously has both a battery+electric motor system and a gasoline storage+ICE motor system? It has both systems. It can only be much more complex than a pure EV.

I take the point that EREV could be simpler than other designs that have both motor systems - the PHEV option, in the "it could always be worse" sense. But pure EVs are actually much simpler than ICE vehicles or hybrids.

Re: Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine

#19

Post by fooqux »

Every time they try and do this, it fails. The math is very much against you with converting energy this way and obviously they haven't solved that.

This seems to be a huge investment to make just to try and market the same technology but better this time.

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