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A range extender vehicle is a battery electric vehicle that includes an auxiliary power unit (APU) known as a 'range extender'. The range extender drives an electric generator which charges a battery which supplies the vehicle's electric motor with electricity. This arrangement is known as a series hybrid drivetrain. The most commonly used range extenders are internal combustion engines, but fuel-cells or other engine types can be used. The key function of the range extender is to increase the vehicle's range. Range autonomy is one of the main barriers for the commercial success of electric vehicles, and extending the vehicle's range when the battery is depleted helps alleviate range anxiety. Range extender vehicles are also referred to as extended-range electric vehicles (EREV), range-extended electric vehicles (REEV), and range-extended battery-electric vehicle (BEVx) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).〔 Many range extender vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt and the BMW i3, are able charge their batteries from the grid as well as from the range extender, and therefore are a type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).〔 When a range extender uses conventional fuels they can re-fuel at regular fuel stations guarantees to give them a similar driving ranges to conventional automobiles.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=What Is A Plug-in Hybrid Car? )〕 As an REEV is only propelled by the electric motor it can do away with the weight and cost associated with the gearbox transmission system typically used in internal combustion engine cars. Further, as the range extender does not need to increase or decrease output in line with the power needs of the vehicle (this task is handled by the electric motor) the range extender can be sized to satisfy the vehicle's average power requirement rather than its peak power requirement (such as when accelerating). The range extender can also operate much closer to its most efficient rotational speed. These design features allow an REEV to convert fossil fuel energy to electric power and vehicle motion very efficiently. ==Generations== *The first generation range extenders are off the shelf internal combustion engines. *The second generation consists of piston engines with new designs from scratch for fairly constant load in series hybrids. They include the wankel engines, rotary combustion engines and free piston engines. *The third generation are micro turbines and fuel cells that work at constant load.〔(Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Land, Water & Air 2012-2022 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Range extender (vehicle)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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