In the last few decades, the automotive industry has undergone a significant shift in the quest to achieve more eco-friendly and energy-efficient propulsion. The concept of hybrid drives has become a key topic. While vehicle electrification offers a cleaner alternative, especially in densely populated areas, internal combustion engines still hold their place in the market due to their independence from modern infrastructure. Although electric vehicles are praised for their clean and “zero-emission” operation, they face significant limitations in terms of their operational range and electricity availability.

The Range Extender project is in its final development phase and offers a unique approach that increases the versatility and range of electric vehicles while maintaining user comfort.

The main advantage of the project is the universal and simple concept of a motor-generator. This simple concept provides an additional power source, ensuring uninterrupted driving even in areas with limited infrastructure.

The core of the Range Extender project and its uniqueness lie in the motor-generator, which was designed with a focus on zero vibrations in all operating modes, effortless integration into the vehicle, and ease of development. Its compact size allows for discreet installation into the existing vehicle structure without compromising design or interior space.

The solution offered by KNOBGEAR^TM is unique in its approach to eliminating vibrations, which is a major challenge in today’s range extender systems for electric vehicles (EVs) and electric aircraft. By using a design with two crankshafts with symmetrical counter-rotating arrangement and identical moments of inertia of the counter-rotating parts, ideally vibration-free operation is achieved. The vibration-free operation is ensured across the entire spectrum of speeds and loads, even during startup and shutdown. No known motor-generator design has yet achieved such properties. Combined with worldwide patented protection, this motor-generator represents the ideal solution for HEV and PHEV technology. Its ability to provide high efficiency while maintaining a simple and proven design makes it a truly unique solution for installation in electric vehicles without the usual compromises in user comfort or vehicle design modifications.

The “KNOBGEAR^TM – Range Extender” project has gone beyond mere design and theory. Now we can demonstrate with a functional sample. This functional sample offers insight into the project’s potential and provides a concrete understanding of its impact and benefits.

• Simple motor-generator concept that uses most components from current top engines.
• Significant reduction in vibrations contributes to significantly better ride comfort.
• Preservation of vehicle design thanks to the small dimensions of thoughtful integration.
• Wide applicability, from regular road vehicles to specialized applications such as ultralight aircraft, special rescue equipment, etc.
• This concept is particularly advantageous when using modern carbon-neutral fuels.

This motor-generator solution was created as a result of the effort to meet the demand for the creation of a charging unit, the so-called range extender, for electric aircraft. However, thanks to its low vibrations, low weight, and favourable installation dimensions, it has the potential for mass expansion. For more details on the project, visit www.knobgear.com.