Automotive engineering is about to take a major step forward in the evolution of hybrid propulsion. Technology company Faraday Future has officially secured a US patent for an innovative power architecture designed for electric vehicles with extended range. The move is a key part of the brand's new strategy, focused on the intelligent hybrid system AI Hybrid Extended-Range Electric Powertrain, more popular in the industry under the abbreviation AIHER.
The patented idea is based on a completely unconventional concept. Unlike mass-produced modern hybrids, where the internal combustion engine, generator and drive axle are tied to a permanent mechanical connection, here the engineers are betting on flexibility. The system uses a configuration with multiple shafts and clutches, which allows for a lightning-fast and completely free change of operating modes depending on the current road situation and the desired dynamics.
The development allows the conventional unit under the hood to operate in several fundamentally different directions. It can directly send traction to the wheels, work solely as a current generator for the battery, or join forces with the electric motor during sharp acceleration or climbing a serious slope. Under extreme load, the architecture has the ability to harness absolutely all available energy sources simultaneously.
The great promise of the creators is related to achieving a significantly greater mileage on a single charge, combined with a paradoxical reduction in mechanical complexity compared to classic hybrid transmissions. The designers expect a serious increase in energy transfer efficiency, which will ultimately lead to lower production costs for the plants themselves. Of course, at this stage these superlatives remain in the realm of theoretical calculations and will yet have to prove their viability on real asphalt.
The intellectual property document, containing 13 detailed claims, was recently finalized and will serve as the foundation for the future FX model family. With it, the company plans to attack the mass price segment, retreating from the territory of its extremely expensive and exclusive flagship FF 91. Faraday Future is betting heavily on vehicles with extended range as the ideal bridge between pure electric vehicles and traditional hybrids, especially in regions where charging infrastructure is still taking its first steps. However, whether this concept will be able to overshadow the already working and proven alternatives on the market will be known only when the first series-produced examples leave the assembly lines.