Detroit motor show 2013: KSPG range-extender engine "You cannot feel it and you cannot hear it," said Horst Binnig, KSPG board member. He says the trials have been a great success and anticipates further work on intelligent satellite navigation systems that can predict steep hills and start the motor to prime the battery. Binnig admits, however, that the cost of the unit is prohibitive at present and that cheaper but less efficient alternators might be required. "There's a lot of interest in this technology, but not a lot of take-up," he says. When eventually the question about electric vehicles comes up, they will need this stuff.