Extender range electric vehicle market to grow to 329,277 units by 2018, says Frost

EV CAR

Greentech Lead Europe: Global extender range electric vehicle market is estimated to grow to 329,277 units by 2018, according to a new research from Frost & Sullivan.

Currently, the market for range extenders is nascent and only one extended range EV (eREV) model is available. However, more than 14 models are expected to be available by 2018.

Range extender technology is an answer to the challenges faced by today’s electric vehicles to provide long range in a single charge as well as the lengthy charging times that can vary from 30 minutes to 10 hours.

“Range extender technologies overcome the major challenge of range anxiety and extended times taken to charge, by generating onboard electricity with the help of different technologies such as internal combustion engine, fuel cell stack and micro-gas turbine,” said Frost & Sullivan Automotive & Transportation research associate Prajyot Sathe. “This is fuelling the trend toward plug-in hybrids and eREVs.”

eREVs will be equipped with different applications such as internal combustion engine range extenders, fuel cell range extenders and micro-gas turbine range extenders. Internal combustion range extenders are expected to be the most widely used technology with an estimated market share of 77 per cent globally by 2018.

An eREV consumes very little fuel, as the primary function of an internal combustion engine or fuel cell or micro-gas turbine is recharging the battery, rather than powering the wheels. Therefore, the extra miles are added at minimal cost.

“The integration of range extenders in EVs will result in more than 50 per cent reduction in emissions and significant fuel savings,” Sathe added. “There is a major focus on engine downsizing which will help lower costs and lead to exponential calibration and optimization complexity, as the same level of detail and features can be retained even though the vehicle is downsized.”

The market for range extenders is expected to develop at a rapid rate as major OEMs have models lined up to be launched within the next three years. Moreover, fuel cell vehicles are expected to be commercialized by 2015. Such trends will have a positive ripple effect on the uptake of extender range technologies.

Battery electric vehicles to show biggest growth in Europe EV sales through 2020

Electric vehicles will play an increasingly important role in European markets, growing from 0.7 percent of the market in 2012 to four percent in 2020, according to a recent research from Pike Research. While that is still a small portion of the market, it represents more than 827,000 vehicles sold annually in the region, the research said.

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