Range extenders in future Renaults?

Joint venture created by Renault and the Chinese Geely, Horse is entering the market for range-extended electric vehicles.

After only two years of existence, Horse has just signed a lucrative contract to supply range-extended electric vehicle (EREV) motors to Brazilian manufacturer Lecar. The first vehicle from the manufacturer is announced for 2026, the Lecar 459 Hybrid, which is presented as an affordable electric vehicle for the national market. But you must understand that it is strange to talk about an electric vehicle for a model whose name includes Hybrid! In fact, this car will indeed include an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, but its operation is quite particular.

In an EREV, the range-extended electric vehicle, the combustion engine never directly drives the vehicle’s wheels but charges the vehicle’s battery via an electric generator. This allows the combustion engine to operate at its highest efficiency level, thereby minimizing fuel consumption and emissions. When the battery is fully charged, the engine stops. The battery can also be charged like other electric vehicles, using a charger.

Horse will provide Lecar with 12,000 units per year of its HR10 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engines, with the possibility of supplying more as demand increases. The HR10 engines are tuned to operate with special Brazilian fuels including low-emission gasoline and ethanol. When used with low-carbon fuels, such as the very popular flexible fuels in Brazil, the carbon footprint of an EREV can become much more attractive than that of a “classic” hybrid. This type of powertrain has a future in countries that have bet on non-fossil alternative fuels, but for now, this is not the case in France. If E85 Ethanol were to become widely adopted, the solution could be interesting, but today burning gasoline or diesel to charge batteries is not exactly a major advancement.

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