Jaguar Land Rover is working with Lotus and Nissan and a number of other automotive manufacturers on REEVolution, a project that is working on technologies to improve the performance of premium electric and hybrid cars. Today, the project received £9.5 million from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to create three REEV demonstrator vehicles.
The REEVolution consortium, which also includes THINK, Axeon, EVO Electric and Xtrac, will contribute a total of £11million to REEVolution, which will run fro two years. The programme will focus on improving electric powertrains and developing the supply chain for ultra low carbon vehicles.
"REEVolution is going to take us to the next level of understanding in delivering high end performance on premium and desirable electric and hybrid cars," commented Pete Richings, chief engineer of Hybrid Technology, Jaguar Land Rover.
A REEV runs off an electric motor, the batteries for which are recharged by a small onboard generator – powered by petrol, diesel, ethanol or even hydrogen fuel cell – to 'extend the range' of the electric vehicle (EV).
Limo Green
Under a previous programme funded by the TSB, Jaguar Land Rover and Lotus recently delivered Limo Green, a series hybrid range extended electric Jaguar XJ. The project delivered sub 120 grams per kilometre (g/km) tailpipe CO2 emissions, had fuel consumption bettering 57 miles per gallon, a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour and an overall range of 600 miles (30 miles in EV mode).
Source: http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk
Photo: Paul Martin Eldridge