Tech I would like to see is a range extender. Lots of ideas, wankel, single stage, alt fuel. Electric drive train with a generator running at optimal fuel efficiency.
Speculation Alert - possible Harvester Engine Choices
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I think there’s been plenty of talk of this on 4 or 5 other threads/posts. Check them out and see why most aren’t viable. Better having larger battery packs for those with range anxiety. No need to start down another thread when this has been covered A LOT already.
Nope. No need for a range extender with modern EVs. Such an engine would just add needless weight and complexity. Modern EVs charge fast enough and have long enough ranges that lugging an unreliable and redundant combustion engine around would be pointless and expensive while offering almost no benefits.
Maybe they could use this engine:
www.liquidpiston.com
Or
https://news.mit.edu/2014/liquidpiston-small-efficient-rotary-engine-1205
The X-Engine Brings Rotary Power to Diesel Engines | LiquidPiston
LiquidPiston’s X-Engine is a rotary engine that is 30% more efficient and up to 10X smaller than a traditional diesel engine.
www.liquidpiston.com
Or
https://news.mit.edu/2014/liquidpiston-small-efficient-rotary-engine-1205
Nope. Not entertaining it. From the get-go SM has said EV. Mazda is also working on rotary with batteries but it just creates a situation of two energy sources and a much more complicated power source.Maybe they could use this engine:
The X-Engine Brings Rotary Power to Diesel Engines | LiquidPiston
LiquidPiston’s X-Engine is a rotary engine that is 30% more efficient and up to 10X smaller than a traditional diesel engine.
Or
https://news.mit.edu/2014/liquidpiston-small-efficient-rotary-engine-1205
SM has educated people at the helm making decisions to go EV. VWAG would never have signed off on a $3 billion (new plant + salaries) experiment if they didn’t believe in EV as a sustainable future of automobiles. If 3-4 years from now sales turn out to be dismal then they can pivot or go down with the ship but until then believe in the EV potential or buy a Jeep/Bronco. This topic is a beaten horse that’s been run over, backed up on and run over again and again and again and again ……………
Done ranting for today
Speculation Alert! As we eagerly await more details on the new Scout, there’s plenty of buzz around potential engine configurations. Kicking off this thread with two likely contenders for powering this rugged compact’s battery pack:
Three-Cylinder from the VW Parts Bin: With VW’s reputation for efficient, punchy engines, a three-cylinder variant could deliver solid torque and fuel economy as a compact generator, perfect for off-road adventures.
4-Cylinder Flat Engine, Possibly a Boxster Derivative: This compact, flat design would be ideal for a rear-engine setup, optimizing balance and efficiency. Known for its punchy performance in the Boxster, a naturally aspirated version could be a perfect engine generator for the battery pack – blending classic VW engineering with Scout heritage!Imagine the Scout with the heart of a Boxster supporting the battery pack – a true mix of rugged utility and sporty dynamics!
What’s your bet on the Scout’s engine for use in the Harvester optioned rigs?
Whatever it is, please please make sure it's big enough to provide enough power to give it full performance on freeway. Please do not make it like BMW i3 which put an underpowered motorcycle engine that cannot even speed it up to highway speed.
Already called the crated 70’s beetle engines
As we eagerly await more details on the new Scout, there’s plenty of buzz around potential engine configurations. Kicking off this thread with two likely contenders for powering this rugged compact’s battery pack:
Imagine the Scout with the heart of a Boxster supporting the battery pack – a true mix of rugged utility and sporty dynamics!
The generator won’t do anything to add performance. That’s all the electric motors. The generator just adds charge to the battery and it doesn’t matter if the battery is at 100% charge or 10% the electric motors will perform the same.
The generator is just going to slow down the rate the battery loses charge to extend the range. It’s not turning a drivetrain so it only needs the torque needed to turn an alternator.
VW have 1.0 liter 3 cylinder engines, but the Harvester might be even smaller, maybe even something from Ducati. It needs to sit below the rear cargo area without taking too much cargo space away, as shown in the reveal video.
I don’t believe the engine will provide any power to the drivetrain. It is a generator, running on gas, that outputs electricity to charge the battery pack.
The views I’ve seen on the website and the reveal look like a transverse I-4 (could be I-3) mostly upright between the rear axle and bumper. The engine doesn’t need to be powerful enough for full performance, just some margin above full speed on level ground pulling a trailer. The battery acts like a buffer providing extra power when needed and taking extra when it’s not. Something around 2.0L is probably sufficient.
That’s not the way a range extender works. It generates electricity to charge the battery. It’s not a hybrid drive system like you see in a performance car where the battery adds torque to the gas engine when accelerating and charges when decelerating.
A range extender in an electric vehicle (EV) is a supplementary power source designed to increase the vehicle's driving range. It's typically a small internal combustion engine (ICE) or a generator that provides additional power to the battery, allowing the EV to travel farther without needing to recharge immediately. This setup helps alleviate "range anxiety," which is the worry about running out of battery power before reaching a charging station.
That’s pretty much exactly how a range extender works. I’ve been driving one for 10 years.
My vote:
Compact, efficient, high power density, and demonstrated to work.
innengine.com
Compact, efficient, high power density, and demonstrated to work.
Our Technology – INNengine
innengine.com
There isn't room for a vertical engine between the trunk floor height and the underside of the vehicle. Turning an inline-3 or 4 sideways only works if you have the crankcase/oil pan underneath which is likely too much engineering effort when they've already got flat-4 and flat-6 engines available in the parts bin. Even then, I don't know how well one would work as a generator.
Hopefully they do something special and use something like an Avadi engine, or something similarly creative like a micro-turbine in that limited space.
Hopefully they do something special and use something like an Avadi engine, or something similarly creative like a micro-turbine in that limited space.
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That’s exactly what it is. It will be a range extending generator to recharge the batteries. No direct link from the generator to the wheels.
He's hoping it can replenish the battery at the same rate driving down the highway depletes it so the battery level doesn't drop.
Mazda is working on a rotary as the REX for there upcoming EV platform which is a great solution.
I think the engine below the trunk is a good idea, but it would honestly be way cooler if they just put it in the frunk area and had a slightly bigger engine than just a three cylinder, and that way, the extra space below the trunk could be used for a bigger gas tank, which could extend the range even further.
So you want an ICE
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