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The only car I know of that works this way is the BMW i3, which came with an optional 'range extender' that's essentially a little gas generator with a 2(!) gal
by alexose 5y ago
The only car I know of that works this way is the BMW i3, which came with an optional 'range extender' that's essentially a little gas generator with a 2(!) gallon tank. One complaint I've heard is that it doesn't necessarily put out enough wattage to fully drive the car under certain (hilly, cold) conditions (But, I have to imagine that could be solved with a bigger generator).
The problem as I understand it is that California's regulations require that the range extender doesn't provide more range than the car's internal battery. How this ended up the case I have no idea.
- zbrozek 5y agoYou can convince the i3 to believe it's a European car which increases the range extender's utility dramatically. You can unlock more fuel as well as have the generator turn on whenever you want (as opposed to at only very low SOC), largely mitigating hills.
- wumpus 5y agoThe purpose of the small gas tank was to qualify for California subsidies and ZEV credits. California doesn't want to subsidize anyone who might buy a PHEV or BEV with REX and then run it 100% on gasoline.