A new range-extender that taps a 0.8-L V-twin gasoline engine with a vertically positioned crankshaft and two 15-kW permanent magnet synchronous motor/generators is being tested on a technology demonstrator subcompact.
The range-extender that was co-developed by KSPG and FEV GmbH uses the FEV-invented Full Engine Vibration Compensator (FEVcom) to address unwanted NVH, especially during the internal-combustion engine’s stop-start events. FEVcom’s main feature is its active-vibration-compensation design.
In a Jan. 15 interview with AEI, Dr. Gerd Kleinert, CEO of KSPG, said at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that the range-extender uses the two generators as balancers. “So this makes it really quiet. When you drive this (demonstration) car, you don’t feel any NVH.” He was referencing the Fiat 500 that FEV technical specialists converted to battery-electric power.
The demonstration car is in an electric-only mode at speeds below 50 km/h (31 mph). At speeds above that, the ICE starts supplying electricity for the motor. “If you go back below 50 km/h, the energy comes from the battery as long as there is energy in the battery. If the battery is out of power, the energy is generated by the combustion engine,” Kleinert explained.
The expected driving range of the range-extended EV demonstrator is about 400 to 500 km (250-300 mi).
As durability and other testing continues, KSPG is in search of an OEM partner. “What we are looking for is a lead customer with whom we would do an application on a specific car,” Kleinert said.
