Range Extender for the Renault Fluence Z.E. : Choice of the engine and design of the structural support.

Abstract: Electric cars have appeared as an alternative to the big pollution caused by internal combustion engine cars. However, electric cars as the Renault Fluence Z.E. are not very sold in the market because of their small range of autonomy. To make this car an attractive option, it is necessary to add a range extender that extends its autonomy. This range extender is based in the addition of a small internal combustion engine to be attached only when the electric autonomy cannot fulfill the trip. A range extender is chosen by means of a comparison between different electric engines sold in the market. By means of a classification tree, the different places of the car where to mount it are compared and the most appropriate is chosen. By using Solidworks, a structure to support the engine and attach it to the car is designed. The result is a Range Extender device to mount in the hitch hook of the Renault Fluence Z.E. that provides an autonomy of around 665 km. This supposes a good solution for the owner of the Renault Fluence Z.E. who needs to cover trips of more than 180 km, the electric autonomy of this car.