Odd couple: the Li-iOn, a plug-in Fiat 500 with a Wankel engine

This plug-in Fiat 500 was unveiled a few days ago at the Vienna Motor Symposium, and it is quite a novelty in the world of plug-in cars because, besides being yet another electric Fiat 500, it uses a rotary Wankel engine as a “range extender.”

The range offered by the Fiat 500 Li-ion RE-EV is 384 kilometres, counting what the lithium batteries provide plus the Wankel engine, which kicks in to start the generator. It is certainly not common to use a Wankel as an auxiliary engine, but the compact design and its smooth-running characteristics seem to have been what tipped the decision.

The fuel tank has been replaced by a much smaller one, with a capacity of around 12 litres, more than enough to feed the Wankel engine and serve as an auxiliary to the car’s range.

This car was built by FEV, an engineering consultancy specialising in reciprocating and conventional engines, and it was only a demonstrator designed to make an impression on its potential clients. A pity, because it would have been interesting to witness the first use of the Wankel engine as an electricity generator in a car.

Via | Autoblog Green