Horse Powertrain, the Renault and Geely joint-venture powertrain maker, has unveiled the C15—a suitcase-sized ultra-compact powertrain that can potentially transform an existing battery electric vehicle into a range extended EV.
Measuring just 500 x 550 x 275 mm in its normally aspirated version, this 1.5-liter 4-cylinder jampacks a generator, inverter, and even cooling package in the compact footprint. Even more impressive, the Horse C15 can be installed horizontally or vertically—allowing it to be placed in a BEV’s front compartment or in the rear, unlocking exceptional flexibility in vehicle design. This allows carmakers to easily and efficiently convert an existing BEV platform into a range extended EV (REEV), allowing them to expand their product line-ups to meet local market demands.
Designed for Euro 7 compliance (including China 7 and SULEV20), Horse C15 will be available in naturally aspirated form for B- and C-segment vehicles, with maximum engine power of up to 70kW (95 horsepower). For larger D-segment vehicles and LCVs, the addition of a turbocharger increases power output up to 120kW (163 horsepower). The unit will be able to run on including gasoline, ethanol, and methanol flex fuels, and synthetic fuels.
In all applications, the range extender maintains the charge level of the high-voltage battery, which is used to power the vehicle’s electric drive motor. By using the Horse C15, carmakers can reduce the EV battery size, delivering significant savings in cost and weight, and reduced pressure on the critical mineral supply chain – all without impacting range.
Unlike traditional plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) the combustion engine of a REEV never directly drives the vehicle’s wheels; instead, the engine operates in its most efficient rev range, minimizing fuel consumption and emissions, minimizing the noise, vibration, and harshness profile.
Since a REEV uses an electric traction motor to power the wheels, it drives with the same smoothness and responsiveness as a BEV. The vehicle’s battery can also be charged in a similar manner to a BEV, using a public charger or domestic power supply.
No word on which carmakers have signed on to use the C15, but Horse Powertrain counts Renault, Geely, Volvo, Proton, Nissan, and Mitsubishi as its OEM customers.
Will it work? Remember that there's no replacement for displacement.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a boomer saying (and not really true anymore) 😆
DeleteBesides, displacement is still there at 1.5 liters. You're probably mixing up engine displacement vs the space savings of this engine design.
This seems like something that could be used in a fun project to revive really old cars. Imagine modding an old ICE car into a REEV.
ReplyDelete