Manufacturer Volvo Body style 2-door coupe Engine 2 motors | Class Compact car Related Transmission none | |
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The Volvo ReCharge is a plug-in hybrid concept car created by Volvo. The vehicle is designed to run purely on electricity from on-board batteries for up to 62 miles (100 km) —which is a large enough distance to cover the daily commutes of most Americans, which is around 25 miles (40 km). With use of a small flex-fuel internal combustion engine hooked to a generator to recharge the batteries, the vehicle's range is increased.
The car is unique in that it uses Hi-Pa Drive wheel motors without any gears, the motors are directly connected to the wheels (wheel motors). This effectively means there will be no transmission or gear lever in the ReCharge. The removal of any transmission gears is expected to increase efficiency by 10 to 20 percent. This direct connection will require software to ensure that the motors act exactly in sync.