[RM2488]

This started off as an informal four line comment, and ended up as a somewhat formal mini-essay. For those who are patient-

Possible technical breakdown:
IMO, as far as regenerative braking is concerned, I figure they refer to the 10 HP motor attached to the crank. As in, the motor will act as a dynamo and charge the batteries, "braking" the engine, and not the tyres. This is technically still regenerative braking.

As far as regenerative braking opportunities are concerned, I can think of two possibilities- idling in traffic, or cruising at speed.

Case 1- How charging at idling might increase the efficiency is a mystery, as the ECU will compensate by adjusting idle, and even when the power is channeled back in motion, there will still be conversion losses. So I'm guessing it DOES NOT charge at idle.

Case 2- It is well known that an internal combustion engine is more efficient at a certain power band (which is NOT in the idling range). So it converts a bit of this efficiently produced power to charge up, and assists the engine in idling- which will save fuel at the inefficient speed. Since it does not rely solely on regen braking to charge up, I'm guessing it offers a power boost in the low inefficient band till 1.5-2 k (varies by engine), and charges at higher than 3-3.5k. This is assuming a petrol vehicle for engine speeds.

Probable Implications:
Since it is primarily a plug-in, most of the battery power will be sourced from more-efficient-than-your-car power plants, and thus increase the efficiency of the car, and reduce emissions. Of course, this also means that revolo will be less efficient than an all-electric vehicle (and probably a "proper" hybrid). The real use will be in metros with traffic congestion, and FE increases on highway cruises will probably not be enough to offset the cost. So people who have a daily commute on highways will end up losing money, while those spending hours stuck in traffic will benefit immensely. This also means that the car will be VERY peppy at low speeds- always a benefit in traffic. Again, it probably wont improve highway performance. Which also means bye-bye BHP increases. Plus, getting government clearance on something that'll increase engine power outright seems difficult.

Disclaimer: I have not studied up on REVOLO in detail (so I'm possibly wrong on some details), and am not associated with REVOLO in any way. This is just a breakdown the way I see it, which fits my logic. Comments are welcome!

[RS_DEL]

Originally Posted by DReddy

The technology is not entirely green. Infact if one were to calculate GHG emission wise, maybe the overall emissions due to the usage of coal based electricity would be even more.
introducing a pricey series hybrid and then delaying the entire technology by a decade or so.

Ideally I would hope that we Indians would soon have access to EVs' capable of decent performance where range is not a constraint and not have to depend upon PHEVs'.

However we live in the real world and not Utopia, therefore till the various impediments in the EV domain are resolved and they become economically viable, PHEVs' are the way to go. A parallel hybrid is the inferior of the two options. A series hybrid is the ideal choice in the PHEV space for those needing Range Extended EVs'.

For those whose run is not very long even the lead acid battery powered EVs' are a much better and more economical solution as per my readings on the subject. I am open to correction here should anyone have more accurate information than what I have come across.

Cheers

[DReddy]

Originally Posted by RM2488

This started off as an informal four line comment, and ended up as a somewhat formal mini-essay. For those who are patient-

Possible technical breakdown:
IMO, as far as regenerative braking is concerned, I figure they refer to the 10 HP motor attached to the crank. As in, the motor will act as a dynamo and charge the batteries, "braking" the engine, and not the tyres. This is technically still regenerative braking.

As far as regenerative braking opportunities are concerned, I can think of two possibilities- idling in traffic, or cruising at speed.

Case 1- How charging at idling might increase the efficiency is a mystery, as the ECU will compensate by adjusting idle, and even when the power is channeled back in motion, there will still be conversion losses. So I'm guessing it DOES NOT charge at idle.

Case 2- It is well known that an internal combustion engine is more efficient at a certain power band (which is NOT in the idling range). So it converts a bit of this efficiently produced power to charge up, and assists the engine in idling- which will save fuel at the inefficient speed. Since it does not rely solely on regen braking to charge up, I'm guessing it offers a power boost in the low inefficient band till 1.5-2 k (varies by engine), and charges at higher than 3-3.5k. This is assuming a petrol vehicle for engine speeds.

Probable Implications:
Since it is primarily a plug-in, most of the battery power will be sourced from more-efficient-than-your-car power plants, and thus increase the efficiency of the car, and reduce emissions. Of course, this also means that revolo will be less efficient than an all-electric vehicle (and probably a "proper" hybrid). The real use will be in metros with traffic congestion, and FE increases on highway cruises will probably not be enough to offset the cost. So people who have a daily commute on highways will end up losing money, while those spending hours stuck in traffic will benefit immensely. This also means that the car will be VERY peppy at low speeds- always a benefit in traffic. Again, it probably wont improve highway performance. Which also means bye-bye BHP increases. Plus, getting government clearance on something that'll increase engine power outright seems difficult.

Disclaimer: I have not studied up on REVOLO in detail (so I'm possibly wrong on some details), and am not associated with REVOLO in any way. This is just a breakdown the way I see it, which fits my logic. Comments are welcome!

I appreciate the time and effort you have taken to write this technical breakdown. If the idea was to give constructive criticism on what you think might not work with this product, you should send this mail to the boffins at KPIT(can be done through their site).
I am sure that some of these thoughts would have crossed their minds before they even thought of making such a kit. Nevertheless, it shows that someone does care, so i suggest you to please go right ahead and send this.

Originally Posted by RS_DEL

Ideally I would hope that we Indians would soon have access to EVs' capable of decent performance where range is not a constraint and not have to depend upon PHEVs'.

However we live in the real world and not Utopia, therefore till the various impediments in the EV domain are resolved and they become economically viable, PHEVs' are the way to go. A parallel hybrid is the inferior of the two options. A series hybrid is the ideal choice in the PHEV space for those needing Range Extended EVs'.

For those whose run is not very long even the lead acid battery powered EVs' are a much better and more economical solution as per my readings on the subject. I am open to correction here should anyone have more accurate information than what I have come across.

Cheers

The current EV technology available, apart from the two wheelers, is a single 4 wheeler which gives a range of 80 km per charge, which should be enough for the average city commuter like you said. But people still crib about range. I doubt that even if a higher range car was introduced, the same folks would not buy it because then they will have a problem with the cost.

I completely agree with your parallel vs seies arguement, that is the right thing to do. Infact, the world's first ever hybrid the Lohner-porsche was also a series. Although the legendary Dr. Ferdinand did not have green intentions on his mind, it was a simple model to do away with the transmission system. The constraint even then was the battery technology.

You say that you have seen DIY EVs, have you also seen any DIY hybrids sir? I have worked on two such projects and trust me it is easier said than done. The whole thing looks and works great on a paper or an excel/matlab model but like you said we dont live in utopia.

Someone is making a sincere effort to make this idea work and I am willing to bet my 1 lakh of hard earned money to give them a chance, rather than on a wacky mod job. To see this thing implemented was a dream when I was working on those projects.

I made an effort to take it further and chucked a cozy IT job opportunity to pursue a course in automotive engineering. I came across news about this kit when I was in the middle of my course. I have even met the REVOLO team at a conference in ARAI and seen the alto in which they installed it and got it tested there.

As a qualified automotive engineer I can say that they are doing a great job for the lesser souls whose only concern would be their ROI on such a thing. For all the others, you are free to buy/import the priuses and volts.

[crisscross]

http://articles.economictimes.indiat...y-ambuj-sharma

Soon, you will be able to convert your car into hybrid & save energy
Chanchal Pal Chauhan, ET Bureau Feb 18, 2013, 05.48AM IST

EW DELHI: The ministry of heavy industries is drafting a policy framework that will provide a norm for manufacturers of hybrid kits that enable existing passenger cars to convert into hybrids.

This new technology kits that Indian joint ventures such as KPIT Cummins and Bharat Forge are at an advance stage of manufacturing would lead to significant improvement in fuel efficiency. A retrofitted hybrid kit will provide at least a 15-25% higher fuel mileage in existing cars.

The new proposal will give a fillip to existing vehicle owners keen on converting to hybrid vehicles by deploying a parallel system that co-habits with existing power systems.

Besides leading to substantial savings on energy bills, the saving itself would allow the entire investment to be recovered in two-three years of vehicle use. The hybrid kit powered by batteries cost between Rs70,000 andRs1.5 lakh for small car to bigger SUVs currently running on Indian roads.

The ministry of heavy industries, the nodal agency for automotive industry in India, has drafted a policy framework to allow hybrid kits installation into existing passenger cars.

"The final threads of the proposal lies with the ministry of road transport & highways that is testing this technology to standardise and adopt it in existing cars. There are large number of vehicles that could be covered and upgrade in power and mileage so country-wide applicable standards are being worked out," said Ambuj Sharma, joint secretary, department of heavy industries.

Just like the CNG kits are retrofitted into petrol cars of any class — 800cc to 3000cc — the hybrids technology comprising an electric motor and its controller, battery pack, software controller and battery management system changes it into a full parallel plug-in hybrid.

"It simple means that the engine and motor will always run simultaneously and give the required boost and fuel efficiency. The advantage of plug-in means that the same car can be connected to a normal electrical power supply at home and the batteries are charged without burning fossil fuel," a senior Maruti Suzuki executive working in research & development said.

Besides, it also uses the stop/start system that makes engine more efficient in congested stop and go situations while the use of regenerative braking system further saves energy. "It would also help in curtailing the menace of emission as there is substantial drop in greenhouse gases," added Sharma.

Auto industry executives say that biggest advantage of a retrofitted hybrid technology is that unlike the electric vehicles there is no additional infrastructure needed to put in place.

They say that equipment could be installed within few hours that makes a car hybrid which does not need any changing stations etc and leads to substantial mileage increase of up to even 40% in many cases and faster pickup.

While many companies are already providing hybrid technology solutions, the Indian joint venture such as KPIT and Bharat Forge are in advance stages to manufacture and commercialise the required kits.

[masin4]

It has been a year since this post any further updates on the revolvo. While.While looking around came across this company based in Delhi:

http://www.folksmotor.com/What_is.aspx

Is there no work happening on the hybrid front in Inida?

[acejash]

Any word on the REVOLVO?
It's almost 2016 now

[Mortis]

Ive been wondering the same thing. I sent them an inquiry 2 months ago and havent received a reply as of yet. I hope it isnt dead. Its a very interesting project.

[freedom]

2-3 years, I had seen indicas with Revolo branding doing test drives on NH4 between Talegaon and Katraj

Havent' seen them lately :(

[Mortis]

Really sad. I hope we hear some news from them soon and the project gains some momentum again

[acejash]

REVOLO is probably dead for now!
There's a similar product out by a different company !

[cunnuvila]

I'm guessing REVOLO didn't make an appearance in the recent Auto Expo 2016? Even I was looking forward to their hybrid solution.

[drsingh]

I found this while analysing IT companies for investments

It is called REVOLO and has won a couple of awards too.

It had wide media coverage in 2013 and has been deployed at The Parliament.

Anybody have first hand knowledge of this product? or knowledge about the present status of the technogy?

Whether I can send my car to their facility today and convert my car into a hybrid?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNnshCErocI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySKG-2vmw5w

The technology also seems to have strong support from out Road and Highways minister.
http://www.kpit.com/Revolo/index.html

http://www.kpit.com/Revolo/timeline.html


No updates online ,I hope its not dead in the water.

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by drsingh

I found this while analysing IT companies for investments

It is called REVOLO and has won a couple of awards too.

Great find
I never ever thought that the hybrid technology can be reterofitted

I sent them my number and email id.
They might reply in a day or two

[Sumedik]

As of 2023 we have OEM strong hybrids by a couple of brands which are delivering great milage for city usage; just like it was meant to be.

This concept has raked up interest and there is an active discussion thread in Team NHP electric cars section.

Companies like KPIT & Folks Motors were certainly forward thinking but looks like they could not bring out any compelling product for retrofitting existing ICE cars to create PHEVs. It seems none of these companies respond to emails, though KPIT has done some work in association with Ashok Leyland.

In today's high fuel prices era, these could have been the equivalent of LPG/CNG kits of yesteryears and nowadays we have proper LiFePO4 battery packs too. But alas, looks like this is one more scene of DOA.

[Mortis]

They could have had a first mover advantage but unfortunately they didn't do enough to promote it and all these companies flopped. Most likely because they were inflexible in which vehicle this could be fitted in and not selling it as DIY kits.
Wanted to get one of these kits fitted but none of the 3-4 companies offering such technologies bother to respond.