Over nine million hybrid cars will be made in 2027 - each with a range extender

Research firm IDTechEx believes we are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle, despite the fact that most off-road, electric two-wheelers and underwater vehicles are pure electric. Indeed, most electric aircraft are pure electric as well.
June 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Research firm 6582 IDTechEx believes we are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle, despite the fact that most off-road, electric two-wheelers and underwater vehicles are pure electric. Indeed, most electric aircraft are pure electric as well. The reason is that all these vehicles types are mainly small and small vehicles rarely need to travel long distances. By contrast, half the electric vehicle market value lies in larger road vehicles, notably cars, and here the legal restrictions are weaker or non-existent and range anxiety compels most people to buy hybrids, if they go electric at all.
 
The latest IDTechEx research report, Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Land, Water & Air 2017-2027, forecasts that over nine million hybrid cars will be made in 2027, each with a range extender, the additional power source that distinguishes them from pure electric cars. Add to that significant money spent on the same devices in buses, military vehicles, boats and so on and a major new market emerges. The report is about range extenders for all these purposes - their evolving technology and market size.

Whereas today's range extenders usually consist of little more than off the shelf internal combustion engines, these are rapidly being replaced by second generation range extenders consisting of piston engines designed from scratch for fairly constant load in series hybrids.

There are some wild cards like Wankel engines and rotary combustion engines or free piston engines both with integral electricity generation. However, a more radical departure is the third generation micro turbines and fuel cells that work at constant load. The report compares all these. It forecasts the lower power needed over the years given assistance from fast charging and energy harvesting innovations ahead. Every aspect of the new range extenders is covered.
 
This report profiles key developers, manufactures and integrators of range extenders for land, water and airborne electric vehicles. It gives ten year forecasts of the different types of electric vehicle and of range extenders by number, unit value and market value. Market drivers and the changing requirements for power output are analysed.

Related Content

  • September 22, 2015
    Launch of UK wind hydrogen refuelling station
    Energy storage and clean fuel company ITM Power has launched its first public access hydrogen refuelling station at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, just off the M1, Junction 33 in South Yorkshire, funded by InnovateUK. The site, which as a public access refuelling station is the first of its kind in the UK, consists of a 225kW wind turbine coupled directly to an electrolyser, 220kg of hydrogen storage, a hydrogen dispensing unit and a 30kW fuel cell system capable of providing backup power generation fo
    Read More
  • October 5, 2016
    New riders get onboard the metabustrip
    Bus travel booking is moving into the digital age as David Crawford discovers. A global surge in demand for intercity bus travel is fuelling new initiatives to make it easier for passengers to access information and book via the web by, fo example, using multi-sourced metasearch engines
    Read More
  • June 14, 2013
    UK trial of electric cars proves they are greener
    Experts leading a major three-year trial into the impact of electric vehicles and the role they could play in our transport systems of the future, have shown that rolling them out across our city’s roads would protect both our health and the environment. Data gathered and analysed by transport experts at the UK’s Newcastle University shows that daytime air pollution levels in our towns and cities regularly exceed the Government’s recommended 40µg m-3 (21 parts per billion) for prolonged periods, putting peo
    Read More
  • October 15, 2019
    Climate fears driving EV buyers, says Geotab
    Reducing their environmental impact is as likely to persuade UK consumers to buy an electric vehicle (EV) as saving money, according to a new survey. Connected vehicle company Geotab surveyed 3,001 consumers on factors that appeal to them in an EV. Four out of 10 respondents are motivated by reducing their impact on the environment - compared to 45% for lowering running costs and 37% for lowering tax costs. Regional findings showed climate was a priority for nearly half the participants from the So
    Read More

Highlighted Content