Startup Claims Its Plug-in System Can Double Driving Range

A three-year-old technology company in Texas says its scalable plug-in electric powertrain can deliver as much as twice the range of current mass-market plug-in systems.

Austin-based KLD Energy Technologies Inc. partnered with Samsung SDI to develop its oneDrive design, each component of which has optimized specifically for automotive use.

Among the features of the new drive are closely integrated components and a novel amorphous metal stator design in which stator blocks can be added to tailor the motor's output. The company says using amorphous metals that can't retain a magnetic field reduces resistance and improves efficiency.

The permanent-magnet brushless motor has only one moving part. Because of its relatively large rotor size, the unit does not require a reduction gear or transmission.

KLD says its system can deliver the same range from a 3-kWh battery that a conventional motor would need 5 kWh to accomplish. It attributes much of the improvement to a battery constructed of low resistance/quick discharge cells rather than the higher resistance/slower discharge cells typical in today's plug-in powertrains.

The company says its oneDrive system is being introduced now in the Kombi EV, a small commercial vehicle made by Cenntro Motors Corp. The company claims the little EV will achieve a federal fuel economy rating of 250 mpg-e. KLD also has installed its system in a small demonstration chassis.