Mercedes Benz ends trials for range extender technology
Our sister publication Autocar UK understands that Mercedes-Benz has pulled the plug on tests exploring range-extender drivetrains as a potential way to improve the utility and appeal of its electric cars.
Mercedes-Benz range extender powertrain
The technology that had been trialled uses a specially adapted combustion engine as a generator to charge the battery when it runs low. However, despite beginning an advanced engineering programme, the firm has decided to focus on simpler and more cost-effective battery-electric drivetrains, a source familiar with Mercedes’ car development activities confirmed.
“We have created [range-extender] prototypes based on existing models, both for packaging and road testing. In the end, though, we concluded that the range-extender drivetrain is a transitional technology with a relatively short-term benefit in terms of sales and comparatively high production costs,” said a high-level insider from the company.
Among the range-extender Mercedes prototypes is an EQS-based mule. It is claimed to feature a front-mounted turbocharged 1.0-litre two-cylinder engine – essentially half of the turbocharged ‘M254’ 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine used through its line-up – to act purely as a generator without direct drive to the wheels.
Power for the prototype is delivered by a rear-mounted electric motor developing 272hp and operating in combination with a floor-mounted lithium-ion battery. The electric energy for the battery, described as having a capacity of roughly half of that used by the production EQS, is provided by traditional AC and DC plug-in charging. The two-cylinder engine is used to create backup electricity in situations where plug-in charging is not available or possible.
In the Mercedes prototype, the petrol engine is combined with a fuel tank of unspecified capacity, giving it a theoretical range, Autocar UK has been told, beyond the 784km of the rear-driven EQS 450+.
Range extender technology
Attention has turned to range-extender electric vehicles following their increasing popularity in China. Aware of the lack of EV charging infrastructure in second and third-tier cities, many carmakers there have begun to offer