MeStRex - Metallic Stack for Range Extender

Low range of current battery vehicles and therefore limited usability for many potential customers is a highly discussed topic and also for sure an important reason for the low market share of electrical vehicles. For the presented project proposal, a consortium of two technology front running companies (AVL List GmbH and Plansee SE), two well-established academic institutes (TU Graz ICVT and IWT) together with a highly innovative small company (PhysTech Coating GmbH) and a global player in the automotive sector (Nissan Motors Limited) was built in order to find a novel way to solve range limitations. Based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) with a metallic support, the development of a system which directly can use fossil fuels (e.g. ethanol) for electrical power generation will be started researched. This system will be used to continuously recharge the vehicle battery pack for range extension (Range Extender) with an efficiency which is far beyond the typical efficiency of other range extender concepts.