Perpustakaan Digital ITB

Transportation sector is still one of the most contributing sectors to the emission of carbon footprints in Indonesia. The popularity of electric vehicles provides a chance for the country to reduce the carbon emission in this sector. The fear of limited charging station and limited mileage in electric vehicle result in appearance of range-extended electric vehicle. Together with the urge to elevate local manufacturing industry, a locally produced range-extender engine became a solution to both matters. The object of this study is a locally produced range-extender engine which is located in Gas Engine Laboratory, Bandung Institute of Technology. The evaluation process is done by running the for 30 to 45 minutes with and without radiator water inserted. The condition of the engine will be checked after running e.g. spark plugs, lubrication oil, etc. The evaluation discovers some issues that are present during engine operation. Backfiring occurs due to the clogging of spark plugs and further it can cause several problems such as damage to other components, power loss, increase exhaust gas emission, and decrease the fuel efficiency. The loud popping noise probably comes from the backfire explosion and/or high-pressure steam explosion. It can damage user’s hearing and at worst blow up the engine. The ignition failure is caused by the leaking of oil and water to the combustion chamber which clogs the spark plug. The oil increases the exhaust gas emission and makes moving parts experience more wear. The water in combustion chamber can explode the engine. The leaking of water to the oil system is most likely caused by the damaged head gasket and/or imperfection in engine casting process. It will cause the lubricated parts to experience more wear and corrode the parts. There are several minor issues such as unresponsive throttle button, limited charged battery and leaking dyno cooling water pipeline that has less urgencies to address. The issue encountered needs to be addressed soon to accelerate the development of the Indonesian’s engine technology.