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This year's Detroit Auto Show marks the first time I wrote the acronym REEV, and also the first time I saw it in print. So I guess we're just going to have to accept it; REEVs are the new thing to look forward to. While we spent a long time in the '90s waiting on hybrids, now it's time to stop being excited about hybrids and start getting excited about REEVs.
So I know what you're thinking...WTF is a REEV. It's a "Range Extended Electric Vehicle" and we're going to be seeing a lot of them soon.
The idea of a REEV is that an electric motor drives the car 100% of the time. REEVs plug in to your house and charge overnight or while you're at work (4-8 hours depending on batteries), and then the REEV drives purely on the more-efficient (though still not carbon-neutral) grid power for a set number of miles (generally betweem 20 and 60.)
After those 20 - 60 miles of driving, a small onboard generator kicks on to recharge the batteries and "extend the range" of the electric vehicle. This onboard generator can be anything that produces power: gasoline engine, diesel engine, ethanol engine, or even a hydrogen fuel cell. The vehicle remains as efficient as a hybrid even after the grid power is all used up because they still use regenerative braking.
At this year's Detroit Show we saw half a dozen REEV concepts. Three from GM (all of which were released in the last year) the Chevy Volt, the Saturn (Opel) Flextreme and the Cadillac Provoq. From Chrysler we saw two REEVs, the Jeep Renegade and the Chrysler ecoVoyager. And from Fisker, we have the Karma, which can be considered a REEV, as it is all-electrically drive for 60 miles.
The Fisker, however, is actually a production vehicle. The difference is that the internal combustion engine doesn't just charge the batteries, it also runs the car, so it is not technically a REEV.
We've also seen REEV concepts from Ford Volvo and VW this year, but somehow Toyota seems to be staying 100% out of the game, promising that the only REEV that will ever be economically viable are diesel locomotives (which, interestingly, have been REEVs for over 30 years.)
Unfortunately, there are a lot of details to work out. Making sure the batteries are safe, integrating them into the vehicle, and engineering the software and hardware to make everything run smoothly and then doing a heck of a lot of quality assurance on a technology that has never seen the light of day.
However, GM has set a June date for testing the first REEVs. These won't be a production model, just hollowed-out Malibus, but it is a first step, and it's coming soon. GM hopes to have the Volt REEV out on the road by late 2010, but by all reports, that's a very optimistic date. But I suppose we will see.
One thing is for sure, the hybrid's days as the most ecological drivetrain on the road are numbered.
Note: GM paid for my travel to attend the Detroit Auto Show.
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written by ASiegel1, January 16, 2008
Thought it was serial plug-in hybrid or parallel?
Guess this didn't work for the industry?
And, the EFS Trinity doesn't count in the equation?
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written by Greg, January 16, 2008
This is the 'ol energy conundrum--oil dependence vs. carbon foot print vs cost of alternatives. It depends on what one values as to what one will choose.
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written by James Staunton, January 16, 2008
I'd love to see an article that explores and analyzes this aspect in depth.
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written by kballs, January 16, 2008
What I do look forward to is having independent electric motors connected to each wheel (whether in the hub or inboard connected with CV shafts so the motor mass isn't unsprung). This eliminates transmissions and differentials, in turn eliminating need for gear oil and complex limited-slip/torsen/locker systems (since every wheel has power regardless of whether the others are slipping), and thus improving driveability (on and off-road) and improving efficiency by eliminating lots of friction and rotating mass. However I do see that most of the REEV systems in this article still use at least one differential (I think I remember one of them using a single electric motor to power all 4 wheels through a more traditional differential system), a shame. I understand there are cost issues having individual motors for each wheel, but when you split 1 motor into 2 you cut it's power requirement in half (and eliminating the differential means more effective power because of less friction and rotating mass), lessening the cost of the individual motors to almost (but not quite) as low as 1/2 the cost of the 1 big motor (so total cost should only go up a little if not down, especially after eliminating the cost of a differential).
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written by Anonymous, January 16, 2008
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written by Anonymous, January 17, 2008
Now, when the day comes when there are distribution centers that can "fast charge" cars, cars that can use that charge over days, not hours, then we can access these critical populations.
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written by Dan Frederiksen, January 21, 2008
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written by Dan Frederiksen, January 21, 2008
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written by brian blum, June 13, 2008
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written by Mike, December 11, 2008
This has a number of advantages...
Statistically speaking, most people make lots of short trips. IIRC, a REEV with a full electric range of about 60 miles will mean that 80% of the trips in the United States will not involve an ICE at all. A normal series hybrid will still burn fuel in an ICE during these trips. When the ICE does kick in, the fuel efficiency is still as high as a series hybrid.
Grid power, while usually not carbon free, is much more energy efficient than an ICE. This is not due to policies or nefarious plans by fuel makesrs or auto companies, but a basic consequence of the laws of thermodynamics. So the impact of that first 60 miles or so is far less than that of a series hybrid.
REEVs can easily be set up to charge overnight, when the power off the grid is likely cheapest and cleanest.
REEVs don't require much specialized infrastructure, and can be charged from a standard household outlet.
REEVs can be somewhat lighter, since they don't need as much battery capacity as a practical electric only vehicle.
Operators are more likely to choose a REEV over an electric only vehicle, since they have less likelihood of getting stranded without charge.
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Electric vehicles are very good to be excited about. They are more convenient and very efficient. They are more secure to drive, because they are making driving less complicated and more controlled than the cars of the past.
So I am looking forward to switch to an electric car in the near future.