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Chery reportedly researching Wankel engines for extended-range EVs

Filed under: China, Technology, Chery, Electric

Mazda isn’t the only company out there working on the next-generation rotary engine. According to China Car Times, Chery is also dabbling in Wankel technology. The company isn’t so much interested in bringing non-piston love to The People’s Republic so much as they are finding a more efficient way to charge the batteries in an extended-range EV. If CCT’s intelligence is accurate, the plan is to use an 800cc Wankel as a sort of internal-combustion lifeline so that if an electric car’s batteries go dead the driver won’t be walking home. The strategy is in line with what we’ve seen from the Chevrolet Volt.

Chery has already worked up a prototype or two using electron-powered QQ3 models. China Car Times says that the vehicles can drive up to 93 miles on battery power alone. Throwing in the new Wankel has extended the vehicle’s range by as much as an additional 43 miles. As of right now, there are no specifics as to whether or not Chery plans to bring the range-extended QQ3 to market.

[Source: China Car Times]

Chery reportedly researching Wankel engines for extended-range EVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2010: Exagon Motors Furtive eGT range-extended EV looks better in person [w/video]

Filed under: Hybrid, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Electric

Exagon Furtive e-GT – Click above for high-res image gallery

Exagon Motors hasn’t often appeared in these pages – the company built some electric ice racers last year – and so yesterday’s announcement of the Furtive e-GT extended-range/all-electric sports car caught us by surprise. We recovered from our shock long enough to check it out in person at the Paris Motor Show today, and the metal does the sleek shape more favors than a camera lens. Still, with a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds (take that, Tesla Roadster) and some range guarantees (!), we’ll take one no matter how it looks.

Specifically, Exagon guarantees that the Furtive-eGT will be able to go – when “calculated according to European standards and energy use cycles” – the following distances before the range extender kicks in:

At a constant speed of 50 km/h : 402 km (31 miles per hour : 250 miles)
At a constant speed of 90 km/h : 288 km (56 mph : 179 miles)
At a constant speed of 110 km/h : 241 km (68 mph : 150 miles)
At a constant speed of 130 km/h : 197 km (81 mph : 122 miles)

Another interesting thing about the Furtive-eGT is that the range extender is an option, which is certainly a welcome change from the one-type-fits-all powertrains we see in the Tesla, Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Check out more views of the Furtive-eGT in the gallery below and be sure to click past the jump to watch the video.

Gallery: Paris 2010: Exagon Motors Furtive-eGT

Exagon Motors Furtive-eGT

Gallery: Exagon Furtive e-GT

Continue reading Paris 2010: Exagon Motors Furtive eGT range-extended EV looks better in person [w/video]

Paris 2010: Exagon Motors Furtive eGT range-extended EV looks better in person [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris Preview: Exagon Furtive e-GT is a range-extended super-electric coupe [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, Technology, Paris Motor Show, Electric

Exagon Furtive e-GT – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Born of Exagon Engineering, constructor of many a race car (including the eight ice-melting machines that contested the Trophée Andros Electrique last season), Exagon Motors has uncloaked a new street machine for a handful of French journalists, and the car’s performance numbers will probably raise more eyebrows than its looks.

The 2+2 is said to achieve a Tesla Roadster-beating 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds with twin Siemens motors producing 340 horsepower. The all-important, all-electric range is similar to the Silicon Valley speedster as well, with 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) claimed as the distance possible before the need for its on-board gasoline motor to kick in to take you the next 400 kms.

It appears the French manufacturer could begin production as soon as 2012. As far as the price goes, we’re going to guess this is is one of those, “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” type of deals. Still, we’ll ask anyway when we check it out for ourselves in the metal. Or carbon fiber. Or whatever it is. In the meantime, you can get a great look, inside and out, in the video reveal awaiting you after the break.

Gallery: Exagon Furtive e-GT

[Sources: Zer Customs, Turbo.fr]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Exagon Furtive e-GT is a range-extended super-electric coupe [w/video]

Paris Preview: Exagon Furtive e-GT is a range-extended super-electric coupe [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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