Commodore EV-maker looks to plug-in hybrid
Barry Park
23 July 2013
www.goauto.com.au
The driving force behind Australia’s first fleet of electrified Holden Commodores says it wants to build a Volt-like plug-in hybrid version paired with a range-extending petrol engine.
EV Engineering chief executive Ian McCleave has told GoAuto that a ‘series hybrid’ version of the once strong-selling large car is part of the Melbourne-based electric car conversion company’s long-term plans.
“With the appropriate backing, it is something we’d like to look at,” Mr McCleave said in an interview marking the halfway point of a two-year trial looking at the viability of converting large, fuel-thirsty cars to battery power.
“And I think that given the trend at the moment seems to be moving from solid transmission to pure electric, so using powertrain architectures like series hybrid as a transition phase would suggest that that is not a bad way to go.”
The plug-in hybrid Commodore would have a similar set-up to the Holden Volt, with a small petrol engine extending the range – and reducing driver anxiety – beyond pure-electric propulsion.
However, rather than provide power to the wheels, a series hybrid Commodore’s engine would instead run a generator to feed electricity back into the bank of batteries.
Mr McCleave said the Commodore’s layout, with the battery pack hidden away where the conventional drivetrain had been housed, suited the series hybrid layout.
“Well, you might put it (the engine) under the bonnet or you might put it in the rear of the car as some other brands have proposed,” Mr McCleave said.
“So there’s a number of opportunities for a series hybrid arrangement – you have a few choices there.”
A year into its trial of seven Commodores converted to run on electricity rather than petrol or LPG, EV Engineering’s landscape is looking very different to when the company was formed in early 2011.
It has also since lost a major financial backer – the Australian arm of Better Place, which slowed down considerably in Australia after its Israel-based parent company burnt through almost $1 billion in funding and declared bankruptcy earlier this year.
“As you know we scaled back our activities after we finished the Commodores,” Mr McCleave said.
“You probably realise at the time we were looking to do an extension of that project. Of course that was dependent on a few factors.
“The easy one was to demonstrate the performance of the car and the capability of it, and I think we did that pretty successfully, so I think that was a positive.
“But it was also dependent, of course, on ongoing support from Better Place. They were a significant funder of the project and we were a significant contributor to their marketing efforts. I think that has now gone pretty quiet.
“Better Place Australia is still operating and it is still on our members list. But globally they are in receivership so … I believe in fact they have found a buyer for the Israeli operation, which is good, so the Israel recharging infrastructure will continue to be supported, which is encouraging.
“I think a lot of people still feel there is technical merit in the Better Place vision.”
Also lost is a battery-powered version of the Ford Territory SUV, developed with Better Place money by automotive technology and motorsport group Prodrive Australia.
The electric Territory was built before EV Engineering started work on its cars, and was used as a promotional tool to encourage businesses to invest in Better Place’s vision of an Australia-wide network of recharging and battery-swap stations.
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Barry Park
23 July 2013
www.goauto.com.au
The driving force behind Australia’s first fleet of electrified Holden Commodores says it wants to build a Volt-like plug-in hybrid version paired with a range-extending petrol engine.
EV Engineering chief executive Ian McCleave has told GoAuto that a ‘series hybrid’ version of the once strong-selling large car is part of the Melbourne-based electric car conversion company’s long-term plans.
“With the appropriate backing, it is something we’d like to look at,” Mr McCleave said in an interview marking the halfway point of a two-year trial looking at the viability of converting large, fuel-thirsty cars to battery power.
“And I think that given the trend at the moment seems to be moving from solid transmission to pure electric, so using powertrain architectures like series hybrid as a transition phase would suggest that that is not a bad way to go.”
The plug-in hybrid Commodore would have a similar set-up to the Holden Volt, with a small petrol engine extending the range – and reducing driver anxiety – beyond pure-electric propulsion.
However, rather than provide power to the wheels, a series hybrid Commodore’s engine would instead run a generator to feed electricity back into the bank of batteries.
Mr McCleave said the Commodore’s layout, with the battery pack hidden away where the conventional drivetrain had been housed, suited the series hybrid layout.
“Well, you might put it (the engine) under the bonnet or you might put it in the rear of the car as some other brands have proposed,” Mr McCleave said.
“So there’s a number of opportunities for a series hybrid arrangement – you have a few choices there.”
A year into its trial of seven Commodores converted to run on electricity rather than petrol or LPG, EV Engineering’s landscape is looking very different to when the company was formed in early 2011.
It has also since lost a major financial backer – the Australian arm of Better Place, which slowed down considerably in Australia after its Israel-based parent company burnt through almost $1 billion in funding and declared bankruptcy earlier this year.
“As you know we scaled back our activities after we finished the Commodores,” Mr McCleave said.
“You probably realise at the time we were looking to do an extension of that project. Of course that was dependent on a few factors.
“The easy one was to demonstrate the performance of the car and the capability of it, and I think we did that pretty successfully, so I think that was a positive.
“But it was also dependent, of course, on ongoing support from Better Place. They were a significant funder of the project and we were a significant contributor to their marketing efforts. I think that has now gone pretty quiet.
“Better Place Australia is still operating and it is still on our members list. But globally they are in receivership so … I believe in fact they have found a buyer for the Israeli operation, which is good, so the Israel recharging infrastructure will continue to be supported, which is encouraging.
“I think a lot of people still feel there is technical merit in the Better Place vision.”
Also lost is a battery-powered version of the Ford Territory SUV, developed with Better Place money by automotive technology and motorsport group Prodrive Australia.
The electric Territory was built before EV Engineering started work on its cars, and was used as a promotional tool to encourage businesses to invest in Better Place’s vision of an Australia-wide network of recharging and battery-swap stations.
Continue here
