Ultra Lightweight Range Extender for Electric Vehicles ("ULRE")

Innovative micro gas turbine company Bladon Jets, in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover and switch reluctance generator specialists SRD, developed an ultra-lightweight 50Kw micro gas turbine powered, electric vehicle range extender.
This technology enables small size range extenders to be developed with high power density, multi fuel capability, vehicle weight savings of over 100kg and further reductions in CO2 emissions.
The micro gas turbine was developed based on Bladon Jets axial flow technology and the electrical generator on SRD’s switch reluctance technology.
The key challenges were to develop a system operating at high rotational speeds which would ultimately be suitable following further research for low carbon vehicle automotive applications and help drive the greater adoption of these vehicle types.
This project, in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover and part funded by the Technology Strategy Board has had a major impact in the race to develop lightweight range extenders for automotive use. At the date of writing, the Bladon Jets micro gas turbine powered range extender is the most advanced contender in the market for this technology, having the potential to deliver significant advantages over conventional internal combustion engine offerings.