A vehicle driven by electricity, designed for chill and snowy areas

Today's EV (electric vehicle) has two weak points: short driving distance and high cost, due to the battery. With an air conditioner, especially in the heating, the driving distance becomes shorter. The problems will be solved by carrying an additional energy source; a biogas (methane) engine is thought to be a best answer, because CO2 emitted by the engine is carbon neutral; both the heating for the air condition and the battery charging are done by the biogas engine. The carrying battery quantity will be able to be minimized; the cost of the EV will be reduced. In chill and snowy areas, a four wheel drive is also indispensable. In 5 years, the EV with the biogas engine and a conventional four wheel drive will be constructed. We think that the EV will be wide use, especially in the chill and snowy areas, because of low cost and low carbon. In future, in more than 10 years, the next generation EV, more safe and comfortable, for chill and snowy areas will be realized; at present time, an in-wheel motor system and a steer-by-wire system are under research and development; high power density motors and magnetostrictive force sensors are indispensable in those systems.