Electric Powertrain Technology for the Emerging EV Industry
The electric vehicles (EVs) of the future will be Extended-Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs).
This series-hybrid propulsion architecture relies on an on-board charger operating at its optimal working point to charge the vehicle’s Lithium Ion battery beyond its plug-in range. (We have illustrated the basic principles of Range-Extended EVs in this animation.)
The promise of turbines as an energy source for motor vehicles has been recognized for decades. However the variable power demand of conventional drive trains has made its implementation impractical owing to the low efficiencies obtained from turbines at variable speeds.
With the emergence of EREVs, it is now possible to leverage the inherent advantages of turbines to realize energy-efficient and low-emission alternative energy propulsion systems.
The ETV Motors team, with a proven track record in both energy generation and storage, has set out to significantly expand the present performance envelopes of the critical EREV components. The company is developing high efficiency, dual-power microturbines and high-voltage lithium ion batteries.
This profound understanding of the respective performance characteristics of the optimized components will facilitate their integration into an unparalleled EREV propulsion platform.
