Although Chevrolet has done a phenomenal job at garnering massive press coverage for its range-extended electric car, the Volt, General Motors isn’t the only automaker with range extending on its mind.
In fact, Volvo is so serious about the subject is announced today that it has already developed a range-extending system that will enable a vehicle to travel an extra 620 miles in addition to what the standard powertrain provides for.
At this point Volvo has yet to decide on any single range extending option, instead saying that it is launching a fleet of test vehicles in early 2012, with the help of the Swedish Energy Agency and the European Union. The fleet will include a Volvo C30 with a series range extender, a C30 with a parallel range extender and a Volvo V60 with a parallel range extender.
Technical Concept I
The first of Volvo’s test cars, aptly named “Technical Concept I,” is based on a C30 Electric with an added three-cylinder, 60 horsepower engine located under the rear-load compartment door. The 111 horsepower electric motor is driven primarily by the 40 kW generator powered by the three-cylinder engine and 10.5 gallon fuel tank. The car can also be switched to use the small engine as a range extender, adding up to 620 miles of range onto the standard C30 Electric’s roughly 68 mile range.
Technical Concept II
The second test vehicle offers substantially more performance thanks to a 190 horsepower turbocharged engine connected to a rear-wheel drive setup via a six-speed automatic transmission. Then factor in the same 111 horsepower electric motor from the Concept I – via addition – and the net result is 301 horsepower. The Concept II can go from a dead stop to 60 miles per hour in less than six seconds.
While the car’s battery pack provides just a 45 mile range, the range extender is good for more than 620 additional miles of range in this instance.
Technical Concept III
Dramatically different than the previous two concepts, the Concept III uses the familiar under-hood location for its electric powertrain, utilizing the same 111 horsepower electric motor and 190 horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine, but mated to a two-stage automatic transmission and a 40kW generator. This is of course packed – entirely – under the hood of the Volvo V60.
When traveling at speeds up to 31 miles per hour the car can travel entirely on electricity, with the battery kicking in at higher speeds much like traditional gas-electric hybrids already on the market. The battery pack allows for a 30 mile range without any gas, but when coupled with the range extender the vehicle can travel over 650 miles.
“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,” said Derek Crabb, vice president of powertrain engineering at Volvo.
