The ebuggy electric vehicle (EV) range extender prototype was successfully constructed with the support of Germany's Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and project partners such as the Fraunhofer Institut IPA and Stuttgart University. ebuggy offers EVs unrestricted mobility on motorways, with no range limitations. ebuggy plans a network of ebuggy relay stations at which drivers of EVs can hitch up battery trailers.
If required, an ebuggy battery trailer can be hitched up at an ebuggy relay station and the journey continued using the energy from the ebuggy. On arrival in the destination area, the ebuggy is dropped off again at the final service station. ebuggy can be exchanged whenever necessary during longer journeys so that unlimited ranges can be achieved. And all this within two minutes.
"ebuggy allows the automotive industry to build reasonably priced electric vehicles with a smaller battery, because ebuggy is available for longer distances. As a result, electric cars will become cheaper than vehicles with a combustion engine and e-mobility will be able to assert itself rapidly and dynamically," says Dr. Manfred Baumgärtner, Managing Director of ebuggy GmbH.
ebuggy expects to offer strong strategic advantages to the automotive industry: Electric cars can be equipped with a comparable small traction battery - offering range only for the city and for commuting. For longer distances ebuggy can be used. With a small and cheap battery, electric cars might be priced even at less cost than gas or diesel cars - enabling a quick and dynamic ramp up of electric mobility
According to the company, ebuggy costs will always be lower than using a gas- or diesel-powered car. Drivers of EVs no longer require another gas or diesel car.
