Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Grumpycat]

Is it funny, stupid or just plain ironic that some EV owners in CA are using gasoline generators to charge their car batteries...!

Far more likely to be Fake News.

 

[goeduck]

Battery powered electric generators can recharge themselves and an EV. Problem solved, no grid required.

 

[Grumpycat]

1 in 5 EV owners switch back to gas because keeping their EVs charged is a PITA...I can't believe some doubt the fact that people (even in CA) DO charge their EVs with generators...

Yes, it is quite a burden.
Takes me an extra 15 seconds to plug in.
And another 15 seconds to disconnect!

 

[Grumpycat]

Around here it's 11:00 p.m.
We have time of use and demand power at work and the price gets ridiculously cheap after 11:00 p.m.

The downside is, whatever our max 15 minute daytime KWH usage for the month is what we get billed as if we used for the entire month.

Aaron Z

You are a prime candidate for a Tesla Powerwall. Solar is not required. Am told the first Powerwall costs $10,000 installed. Subsequent Powerwalls are $7,000 each. 13 kWh each. They are smart enough to charge during cheap periods and assist during high cost TOU. Meanwhile the Powerwall doubles as backup power during outages.

 

[MossRoad]

Far more likely to be Fake News.

How to Charge Your Electric Vehicle Using a Portable Generator

Can a portable generator really charge an electric vehicle? This seems to be an awkward question. Happily, the answer is yes!

www.diy-experts.net

Blink Introduces Portable, Mobile EV Charger for Roadside Use

Running out of juice no longer requires a tow to the nearest charger, but it does require a substantial cash outlay.

www.caranddriver.com

A Gas-Powered EV Charger Is an Imperfect Solution for Range Anxiety

Despite modern battery technology, quite a few consumers still suffer from EV range anxiety. For the most part, if you live in a large city, that’s less

www.motorbiscuit.com

 

[California]

A Gas-Powered EV Charger Is an Imperfect Solution for Range Anxiety

Despite modern battery technology, quite a few consumers still suffer from EV range anxiety. For the most part, if you live in a large city, that’s less

www.motorbiscuit.com

There are a few people who will buy anything. I expect these will sell to the same folks who carry jerry cans on a hitch-mount rack. Rare, but they're out there.

 

[MossRoad]

There are a few people who will buy anything. I expect these will sell to the same folks who carry jerry cans on a hitch-mount rack. Rare, but they're out there.

Yes, I see those on the backs of Jeeps around here occasionally. I don't recall being more than 20 minutes from a gas station anywhere in the entire state of Indiana with the possible exception of extreme southern Indiana. Same thing goes for Dollar General, it seems.

 

[Cat385B]

There are a few people who will buy anything. I expect these will sell to the same folks who carry jerry cans on a hitch-mount rack. Rare, but they're out there.

That’s why people who drive open top Jeeps drive really fast. One collision from the rear and they’re dead (cooked) meat.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

There are a few people who will buy anything. I expect these will sell to the same folks who carry jerry cans on a hitch-mount rack. Rare, but they're out there.

Hey, I resemble that comment! Any time I plan to be over 100 miles from the closest gas station, I load extra gas in the pickup. The onboard tank is only good for about 300 miles, so 150 miles there and 150 miles back leaves me running on fumes.

 

[/pine]

Far more likely to be Fake News.

You missed the point...I thought it was funny the EV owners had to go the gas station to buy gas for a generator to charge an EV...too funny...live with it...!

 

[California]

You missed the point...I thought it was funny the EV owners had to go the gas station to buy gas for a generator to charge an EV...too funny...live with it...!

Where do you get your 'news'?

 

[/pine]

Where do you get your 'news'?

Actually it's old news (a couple of years anyway)...same deal though blackouts had EV owners running for generators and gasoline...Even Tesla was commenting on it...!

BTW...I subscribe to Reuters business news wires...

 

[Grumpycat]

Tesla says it will power all Superchargers with renewable energy this year - Electrek

Here you go.

The Sun is not renewable.

 

[Grumpycat]

I remember Tesla and maybe others trying for solar on their experimental cars.
Didn't work in garages and throughput to weight was not good.
Maybe as they get the efficiencies up on solar this will change, but not soon.
Maybe give away solar panels with each new car

I don't remember any serious designer/manufacturer putting PV solar on roof of cars unless they were vying for attention of the woefully poorly educated media.

Cover the entire top of the vehicle might produce 500W at peak. So for an hour of full intensity sun one might drive a Tesla Model 3 for 2 miles.

 

[California]

Actually it's old news (a couple of years anyway)...same deal though blackouts had EV owners running for generators and gasoline...Even Tesla was commenting on it...!

Maybe the best 'fleet' for the homeowner (not farmer) would be a Tesla and a Prius.

I read of an electrical engineer who investigated powering his home from his Prius and found its 12 volt charging system is more robust than an ordinary car because of the frequent engine re-starts. I think he said it has a 125 amp alternator. Also he concluded running anything from the Prius primary battery - 400 volts or so, was impractical and too expensive to build a converter for rare emergency use. (I think this applies to the Tesla HV system as well).

So the Prius owner set up a 12 volt inverter sufficient to run his house lights, refrigerator and freezer. He said the Prius started itself about every hour as its 12 volt battery voltage dropped. He got through a couple of days outage without drama.

That would be a last-resort way to provide 120 volts to an EV charger. It might take days (and lots of gas) to get much of a charge, but the investment in hardware would be minimal. For some families this might be better than storing a gas-powered small generator and its fuel, for an emergency that rarely occurs.

 

[Grumpycat]

Maybe the best 'fleet' for the homeowner (not farmer) would be a Tesla and a Prius.

I read of an electrical engineer who investigated powering his home from his Prius and found its 12 volt charging system is more robust than an ordinary car because of the frequent engine re-starts. I think he said it has a 125 amp alternator. Also he concluded running anything from the Prius primary battery - 400 volts or so, was impractical and too expensive to build a converter for rare emergency use. (I think this applies to the Tesla HV system as well).

So the Prius owner set up a 12 volt inverter sufficient to run his house lights, refrigerator and freezer. He said the Prius started itself about every hour as its 12 volt battery voltage dropped. He got through a couple of days outage without drama.

That would be a last-resort way to provide 120 volts to an EV charger. It might take days (and lots of gas) to get much of a charge, but the investment in hardware would be minimal. For some families this might be better than storing a gas-powered small generator and its fuel, for an emergency that rarely occurs.

Have met and corresponded with several of the principles who pioneered the “PriUPS”.

Prius (at least up to 2009) has a 207v NiMH battery of just under 2kWh. Some have tried augmenting that capacity in attempt to get more MPH. Utterly failed. Some managed to extend range with engine off. The European Prius had an EV button that would keep the engine off. Apparently the North American Prius had the firmware only lacking the button.

The PriUPS designs primarily used 1000W 12V AC inverter on the 12V power rail which is fused at 100A. So all they did was tap the 12V battery for the off-the-shelf inverter and leave the car “on” letting it start the engine as necessary to charge the 12v battery.

Later another (Hobbit, I believe) found (dumpster diving?) a large commercial UPS which operated off about 200v battery (long gone) and was working on tying that directly to the Prius traction battery. There was some concern as to how the Prius would respond to its traction battery being discharged outside of the Prius’s control. Experience of those who had previously built EVs of Prii was being consulted.

Hobbit’s website: Hobbit's techie-rants

WB4APR is one of those who puts solar panels on cars for media attention: APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System See his FrankenVolt.

Haven’t heard from Bob Wilson since he returned my Tesla CHAdeMO adapter. Great detail here how to build a PriUPS: Prius - UPS Project

 

[rontaki]

It seems to me the best second car for any battery EV owner would be a Dodge Charger. Just plug the EV into the Charger, right?

Maybe this post belongs in the Groan catagory...

 

[cqaigy2]

It seems to me the best second car for any battery EV owner would be a Dodge Charger. Just plug the EV into the Charger, right?

Maybe this post belongs in the Groan catagory...

That's actually funnier than pines "joke"

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Bangladesh scraps 10 coal-fired power plants

Most every coin has two sides. I just hope they make the transition slow enough to not harm the poorest of the poor more than they help them.

 

[goeduck]

It seems to me the best second car for any battery EV owner would be a Dodge Charger. Just plug the EV into the Charger, right?

Maybe this post belongs in the Groan catagory...

That is a GOOD one! funny!