logo
REx marks the spot: inside the new range-extender that could change the world

REx marks the spot: inside the new range-extender that could change the world

Auto Car16 hours ago
Range-extenders have been in the mix of possible alternatives to pure-petrol and pure-diesel powertrains for nearly three decades, and with new eRE and eRE+ powertrain products from ZF Friedrichshafen arriving in 2026, we could start seeing more of them.
It's a technology that appears to be enduring. Citroën produced versions of the Saxo, Xsara and Berlingo back in the 1990s and there have been plenty of working concepts from various manufacturers since. For instance, GM launched the Chevrolet Volt in 2016 and the Mazda MX-30 R-EV is on sale today.
ZF is one of the world's largest automotive tier one suppliers and it's investing big in range-extender technology. Its aim is to make it easier for manufacturers to slot the technology into production cars in a modular way rather than evolve it from scratch.
Such an approach is not unusual. Often, a new technology we see in a car is a product that has been developed by a tier one supplier and sold to the car manufacturer.
ZF developed a range-extender for London black cabs in 2018 and in November 2023 it began work on its latest products, the eRE (electric Range Extender) and eRE+, which gives the option of four-wheel drive. Work first started on the eRE at ZF's technical centre in Shanghai, reflecting the increasing appetite for range-extenders in China.
What exactly is a range-extender? In its purest form, it's simply an EV but with a much smaller battery and a generator to top the battery up when needed.
Unlike a full parallel hybrid, in which the engine and electric motor can drive the wheels in whichever configuration the manufacturer chooses, the combustion engine in a true range-extender doesn't drive the wheels: the electric motor does, powered by the battery, which is charged by the generator.
The battery can usually also be charged via a socket like a plug-in hybrid. The technical name for a range-extender is a series hybrid, because the energy is passed in series, from generator to battery to motor.
The ZF eRE does that and a typical configuration is for a generator powered by a combustion engine, with a motor driving the rear wheels. The eRE+ develops that by adding a planetary gearset, a bi-directional clutch and a differential.
This enables the motor-generator to drive the front wheels, which, with the main motor driving the rear wheels as before, gives four-wheel drive. Alternatively, the motor-generator is able to work in generator mode, de-clutched from the axle, to charge the battery while the car travels in rear-drive.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Britain should place China & US in toughest tier of its new foreign influence scheme, report finds
Britain should place China & US in toughest tier of its new foreign influence scheme, report finds

The Sun

time30 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Britain should place China & US in toughest tier of its new foreign influence scheme, report finds

BRITAIN should place both China and the US in the toughest tier of its new foreign influence scheme, according to a new report. The UK must also engage with Beijing economically 'even if this prompts retaliation' from the White House, the Chatham House think tank said. Sir Keir Starmer's Government has been accused of cosying up to China despite concerns about its hostility to Britain. Beijing has been spared from the most stringent requirements of the UK's new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (Firs), which would see anyone working for the state to declare influence activities in Britain. Under existing rules, China is in the lower tier of the scheme which requires the declaration of 'political' activity alone. Iran and Russia have been placed in the higher 'enhanced' tier covering a wider range of activities. Yet the decision to not put the strongest restraints on Chinese influence will be slammed by hawks including senior Tories. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat said last year: 'The advice from MI5 was very very clear. If China isn't in the enhanced tier it's not worth having.' The foreign influence register was first proposed by the Tories. But it was only adopted by Labour following the scandal over a suspected Chinese spy's links to Prince Andrew. At the time Mr Jarvis insisted: 'the Government would not hesitate to use 'every tool at our disposal' to keep Britain safe - and blamed the Tories for leaving the register plans in disarray. He said: 'Where there are individuals who pose a threat to our national security, we are committed to using the full range of powers available to disrupt them.'

Abandoning EU's 2035 zero-emission car target would risk 1 million jobs, study says
Abandoning EU's 2035 zero-emission car target would risk 1 million jobs, study says

Reuters

time40 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Abandoning EU's 2035 zero-emission car target would risk 1 million jobs, study says

July 8 (Reuters) - Europe's car industry could return to producing 16.8 million cars a year, equalling its post-2008 crisis peak, if the European Union maintains its 2035 clean cars target and implements policies to support the transition, a study published by campaign group Transport & Environment showed on Tuesday. Conversely, deploying no industrial strategy and going back on the 2035 target that all new cars and vans sold in the EU no longer emit carbon dioxide could result in a loss of 1 million auto industry jobs and two-thirds of planned battery investments, T&E said in a statement. Already challenged by high costs in their home markets and a gap to Chinese and U.S. rivals in the electric vehicle industry, European carmakers now face the effects of U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on auto imports, which have pushed many manufacturers to pull their forecasts for 2025. Following heavy lobbying, the European Parliament gave its backing to a softening some of the EU CO2 emissions targets for cars and vans in May, but it has so far stuck the regulations that will bar the sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2035. "It's a make or break moment for Europe's automotive industry as the global competition to lead the production of electric cars, batteries and chargers is immense," Julia Poliscanova, Senior Director for Vehicles & Emobility Supply Chains at T&E, said in the statement. If the 2035 goal is maintained and policies to boost domestic EV production are implemented, the automotive value chain's contribution to the European economy would grow 11% by 2035, the advocacy group said. Job displacement in vehicle manufacturing could be offset by the creation of more than 100,000 jobs in battery making by 2030 and 120,000 in charging by 2035, it added. Weakening the goal alongside lack of comprehensive industrial policies meanwhile could slash the value chain's contribution by 90 billion euros ($105.5 billion) by 2035, the report said. ($1 = 0.8529 euros)

Former Tory Cabinet minister David Jones joins Reform UK
Former Tory Cabinet minister David Jones joins Reform UK

The Independent

time42 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Former Tory Cabinet minister David Jones joins Reform UK

A former Conservative cabinet minister has announced he is now backing Reform UK as the party that now 'best represents my views'. David Jones, who served as Welsh secretary under David Cameron between 2012 and 2014, announced he was joining Nigel Farage's party on Monday after more than 50 years as a Tory. The former Clwyd West MP described the move as 'a very difficult decision for me' and said he had written to the Conservatives in October to say he would not renew his membership, but received no reply. He said: 'I joined the Conservatives all those years ago because I believed it was the party that best reflected my values and beliefs. Regrettably, that is no longer the case. 'Today, Reform UK is the party that best represents my views – and, I believe, those of many others who have become disillusioned with the two old major parties.' After losing his cabinet job in the 2014 reshuffle, he went on to become a minister in the Department for Exiting the EU under Theresa May for a year between 2016 and 2017. He later became deputy chairman of the European Research Group, a Eurosceptic group of Tory MPs. Mr Jones, who stood down from Parliament last year after 19 years as an MP, said he had no intention of standing for election, and had joined Reform 'as a private individual'. But as a former cabinet minister, he is the most senior ex-Tory MP to join Reform so far, following Marco Longhi, Anne Marie Morris, Ross Thomson, Aiden Burley and Dame Andrea Jenkyns, now the mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. His defection also comes as Mr Farage's party seeks to make significant gains in next year's elections at the Senedd in Wales, where polls suggest the party is in second or third place. It is a boost for Reform after a difficult weekend in which one of its five MPs 'removed the party whip from himself' amid allegations about two of his businesses. James McMurdock, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, insisted 'all' of his 'business dealings' complied with regulations following claims he improperly borrowed money from the government during the pandemic. A Liberal Democrat source said Mr Jones had 'jumped from the sinking ship straight into Farage's circus tent'. They added: 'The Liberal Democrats are the party standing up to Reform and their divisive politics in Wales and across the country, fighting to protect local services and stop Farage doing to our communities what Trump is doing in America.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store