It’s called, without much imagination, Rapid Electric Vehicle Retrofits (Revr) and it’s the low-cost electrification kit for petrol or diesel cars invented by Australian student Alexander Burton.
Engaged in the degree course in industrial design and sustainable systems engineering at Rmit University in Melbourne, Burton has already won the James Dyson Award for Australia with his project.
Now the student plans to use the AU$8,800 (€5,300) prize money to buy a small computer numerical control (CNC) machine and the specialist materials needed to build the first working prototypes.
The Rapid Electric Vehicle Retrofits system is designed as a cheaper and simpler alternative to the current conversion of ICE models into electric cars, which – according to Burton cost an average of about 30 thousand euros – and therefore the prerogative of classic or valuable collector’s vehicles.
In these cases, the process usually involves removing the internal combustion engine and all associated hardware, such as the gearbox and hydraulic brakes, to make room and mount the electric motor (or motors in some cases), batteries, and management system.
With Rapid Electric Vehicle Retrofits, on the other hand, upgrading petrol or diesel cars to hybrid electric is much easier and does not require any removal. At the heart of the system is a compact and high-density axial flow flat motor with a circular shape that allows it to be mounted between the car’s traction wheels and the disc brakes. All with a cost that should not exceed 3 thousand euros.
The battery and controller should be placed in the spare wheel compartment or trunk, while the hood compartment could accommodate some additional systems – such as brake booster and power steering – to be used in 100% battery-powered driving. The size of the one envisaged in the Revr should ensure 100 kilometers of range.
the rotating part (rotor) of the electric motor designed by Burton is positioned in a way integral with the wheel while the stationary part (stator) is fixed to the existing mounting points on the brake hub.
In addition, borrowing a solution that already exists in hybrid vehicles, the kit uses a sensor to detect the position of the accelerator pedal so that both acceleration and braking can be controlled. And that means you don’t need to make any changes to your car’s hydraulic braking system.
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