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PSA Group is preparing to test battery-powered cars that recharge with an on-board generator, industry sources said, as the French carmaker hunts for a breakthrough in mass-market electric vehicles to catch rivals Toyota.
Sales of so-called range extenders, pioneered by General Motors in the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, will multiply as the petrol generators become lighter and more efficient, according to the technology’s backers. That could allow electric cars to carry smaller batteries, shedding more weight and cost.
“We are evaluating the technology,” said PSA, the maker of Peugeot, Citroen and DS cars, research and development director Gilles Le Borgne. “Nothing has been decided yet.”
PSA, which declined further comment, is pursuing an ambitious turnaround following a 2012-14 crisis that saw it fall behind competitors on research and development until it secured a cash bailout from the French state and China’s Dongfeng.
Chief executive Carlos Tavares has pledged to introduce 11 new electric and hybrid models by 2021.
To meet ever-tightening carbon emission limits, carmakers will need popular, affordable vehicles that draw more heavily on electric propulsion. Demand for pure-electric cars remains marginal in most markets, held back by their limited range and costly batteries, even after significant government incentives.
Hybrids like the Toyota Prius, which next year marks the 20th anniversary of its original version’s launch, combine a battery and electric motors with a combustion engine, both driving the transmission mechanically. But fuel savings are limited by the system’s added weight, complexity and cost, making it unsuitable for small mass-market vehicles, some analysts suggest.
Range extenders like the Volt’s 1.4-litre engine or the two-cylinder generator aboard BMW’s i3 offer a different compromise, kicking in to keep the electric motors humming only when the battery runs low. As with hybrids, however, their heft cuts the distance that can be covered before that happens.
Several prototype vehicles using a free-piston generator will be road-tested early in 2017. At an estimated $17,000 per vehicle, costs should undercut both conventional hybrids that come in closer to $25,000 and pure-electrics at around $40,000.
Not everyone is convinced. Many industry leaders believe adding a combustion engine harms the zero-emissions appeal of electric cars as well as their eligibility for green incentives.
While more than half of BMW’s i3 customers opted for a range extender with the original model, that proportion is ‘substantially lower’ since a revamp improved battery range, the company said. Toyota unveiled its own free-piston generator design in 2014 but has yet to announce plans for the technology.
Other car makers are pinning their hopes for electric cars on future improvements in battery performance and cost.
