Lotus Range Extender Engine, Presented at IAA

Lotus Engineering, the consultancy division of British manufacturer Lotus, announced today it will unveil the Range Extender engine at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. The engine, to be used in "a series of hybrid vehicles", is a 3-cylinder 1.2l unit, with a aluminum monoblock construction.

According to Lotus, it develops 15 kW of electrical power at 1,500 rpm and 35 kW at 3,500 rpm via the integrated electrical generator. The generator is attached to the engine via the crankshaft and sustains vehicle operation beyond the range provided by the batteries.

“As the world changes, Lotus Engineering continues to change with it, continuously developing solutions for more sustainable transportation. The Lotus Range Extender engine is another example of Lotus Engineering developing new technologies for efficient performance, this time in the area of series hybrid vehicles," Paul Newsome, Lotus Engineering managing director said when announcing the unveiling.

"The engine concept we have created with its optimised combustion and compact, low mass, low cost construction is a clear demonstration of the expertise and progressive approach Lotus takes for its own research and for its clients.”

The Range Extender is the result of a cooperation between UK’s Technology Strategy Board (who funded the project), Lotus Engineering, Jaguar Cars, MIRA and Caparo Vehicle Technologies. The improvements brought to the engine allow for a reduction in emissions through faster light-off of the close-coupled catalytic converter, a reduction in heat loss between the exhaust port and catalyst inlet, as well as an optimized operating range.

“Most series hybrid vehicles that are currently being developed will use adaptations of existing, conventional engines which are therefore compromised in the efficiency that they can achieve, designed as they are for a wide range of operating conditions," Simon Wood, Lotus Engineering technical director added.

"Designing the Lotus Range Extender purely for use in series hybrids has allowed us instead to develop an optimized engine that has high thermal efficiency, low fuel consumption, multi-fuel capability and a 35 kW peak output from a 1.2l, low cost architecture over the precise operating range required by a series hybrid drivetrain.”

autoevolution will be attending the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, so stay tuned for some real up close and personal shots of the vehicles, as well as for first-hand details of the motorized contraptions.