Obrist, a powertrain designer based in Austria, has come to the Munich show with an innovative range-extender powertrain dubbed the HyperHybrid, which can be used to extend the range of nearly any electric car without adding heavy battery cells.
The operating principle is that of a range-extender, or serial, hybrid: an internal combustion engine is installed to generate power for the main electric motor or multiple motors. The Tesla Model Y on display received a small two-cylinder, one-liter unit consuming no more than two liters of gas per 100 km (118 MPG).
The company claims that mass-equipping production EVs with the HyperHybrid add-on will reduce their weight drastically thanks to large battery becoming redundant. The car itself will become cheaper to manufacture, because while a typical EV powertrain costs around €12,000, the HyperHybrid costs about as little as €2,000.
Even more interestingly, the system introduces dual crankshafts rotating in opposite directions to enable smooth acceleration and fast throttle response. Obrist goes as far as to compare the experience with that of driving a luxury V12 car. Finally yet importantly, the design should reduce vibrations that plague some EVs, such as the BMW i3.
No estimations were provided on when the technology may make it to the mass market.