Range extender

The combustion engine may also have a longer lifespan, as it does not need to run at high rpm (which causes increased wear and tear).

[14] General Motors describes the Chevrolet Volt as an electric vehicle equipped with a 16 kWh battery plus a "range extending" gasoline powered internal combustion engine (ICE) as a genset and therefore dubbed the Volt an "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" or E-REV.

When the battery capacity drops below a pre-established threshold from full charge, the vehicle enters charge-sustaining mode, and the Volt's control system will select the most optimally efficient drive mode to improve performance and boost high-speed efficiency.

Volt owners who charge regularly typically drive more than 1,560 km (970 miles) between fill-ups and visit the gasoline station less than once a month.

[20] The BMW i3 all-electric car with at least 22 kWh battery capacity offers an optional gasoline-powered range extender APU.

It generates electricity to extend the range from 130–160 km (80–100 miles) to 240–300 km (150–190 miles)[23][24] Performance in range-extending mode may be more limited than when it is running on battery power, as BMW designed the range extender as a backup to enable reaching a recharging location.

[29] The range-extender option of the BMW i3 was designed to meet the CARB regulation for an auxiliary power unit (APU) called REx.

According to rules CARB adopted in March 2012, the 2014 BMW i3 with a REx unit fitted will be the first car to qualify as a range-extended battery-electric vehicle or "BEVx."

The APU, which maintains battery charge at about 6% after the pack has been depleted in normal use, is strictly limited in the additional range it can provide.

[31][32][33] In June 2016, Nissan announced it will introduce a compact range extender car in Japan before March 2017.

The LEVC TX London taxi was launched in 2017 and features a 33 kWh battery that is charged by a 1.5-litre gasoline engine.