Trailer range extender

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...not to mention the modification of the vehicle to allow direct DC connection from trailer battery to the main traction battery in the car.
 
Tadol said:
Could someone build a portable generator specifically to plug into a DC charge port?
That's an interesting idea. By doing the rectification directly off of a traditional generator, you would not care about the AC waveform quality. In addition, the DC charge controller could act as a governor to keep the generator at the desired operating point - either the max output or the max efficiency of the engine.
 
miimura said:
Tadol said:
Could someone build a portable generator specifically to plug into a DC charge port?
That's an interesting idea. By doing the rectification directly off of a traditional generator, you would not care about the AC waveform quality. In addition, the DC charge controller could act as a governor to keep the generator at the desired operating point - either the max output or the max efficiency of the engine.

But how many will be produced with these specs ? Imho not enough to make it profitable.
Better to have a "conventional" generator that produces 240/270 volt, xxx amps with a solution like the tesla super chargers of X 10kW chargers in parallel to convert the energy of the generator to what the battery pack wants.
In order to make such a solution universal, it would need to be able to be used by all BEV's and most of the models have different battery setup/voltages. That is why a chademo setup wouldn't be a setup in my mind.
The only thing what I would be worried about and something they omitted from the sketches of the trailer is the beefy cable/connector that goes with it.
The "artist impressions" show no cables at all.
I don't see a cable to the front of a leaf and drive with the bonnet open. So it would mean extra hardware somewhere in the back.
Let's wait until they have a real product
 
Tadol said:
Could someone build a portable generator specifically to plug into a DC charge port?
What do you mean by portable? Honda 2000 is what I call portable and is good for L1 only.
Otherwise a 60kw generator and equipment is going to be rather large.
 
Obligatory link to Phil's 30 kW Capstone turbine trailer.

Leaf_turbine_IMG_8554.jpg


EDIT: Better (forum) link.
 
The only reason I asked is that it seems like if it were possible to make a small generator that only did straight up DC, and eliminated all the other hardware and overhead thats necessary to make a universal 110/220 AC unit, then it could be used as a towable emergency recharge unit, a portable recharge station for EV rallys or meetups in locations that have minimal or no recharging capabilities, or similar. Depending on cost, if it had the ability to also output 12vdc, it could be a great camping / emergency generator for led lighting and such -

I'm not sure what it'd take, but seems like it could be useful -
 
I'm not sure why people can't let go of generators and trailers, they make no sense economically and otherwise. As stated year after year long before the LEAF was even a concept, it is better to buy the correct EV or vehicle and not adapt it. How many times will this be a new great idea only to be beaten to death 100X over. Anyone that thinks it's a great idea should go into business making them tomorrow and report back in a year how it worked out. I'll invest $1. These failed attempts and concepts have been going on since EV infancy.
 
4EVEREV said:
I'm not sure why people can't let go of generators and trailers

But this one goes to 11.

It's an idea that never dies but never gets off the ground either because who's going to pay 10-20k extra to save a couple hours on a trip you take once a year. Most of us have another car or would just rent one for the day.
 
At yesterday's EV meeting in Santa Ana was a rav4ev owner that drove all the way from Utah using a trailer pusher.

He got about 22 miles per gallon on his way up here doing 55mph
The trailer has no battery
The power for the ignition is inserted through the lights.
So turn it on, he puts in gear, starts dragging it against compression,
turns on his lights and vroom, instant push.
As soon as he applies his breaks it is switched off again.
throttle is in fixed position about 80% open.

One picture to give an idea:
beetlepusher1.jpg


All pictures can be found here:
http://www2.dth.net/cars/trailerpusher/beetlebased/
 
4EVEREV said:
Dirty, inefficient, unsafe,.......
But if you have to come all the way from utah for warranty repairs and you don't have ChadeMo installed, I think it is a workable solution.
I would have done it a "bit different" , I agree with that.
I think the owner also isn't done with the design yet, he just needed to improvise to make it to california.
He succeeded in that.
 
Pretty innovative. It's interesting to see other people's ideas. Since you can't charge while driving I suppose that is a better option than towing a generator, where you would need to stop to charge.
 
dstjohn99 said:
Pretty innovative. It's interesting to see other people's ideas.
Thank you! I agree.
This is the most simple setup to make long travel possible with an EV
It is not :
-nice looking
-safe (imho)
-nice looking

but it gets the job done and I really like the simplicity of the setup.
I always wondered about the push with an angle thing, but with the long wheel base
of this construction, this is _a_ way to get around that.

It certainly made me smile and found it interesting enough to share.


Since you can't charge while driving I suppose that is a better option than towing a generator, where you would need to stop to charge.
 
If I have to transport my RAV4 very far, I'll rent a car tow dolly and tow it with my truck. BTW I drove my truck yesterday for the first time since New Years...Getting it ready for a trip.
 
Innovative? Like bungee cords holding down the plastic portable fuel tanks?
Does the trailer have proper registration and insurance?
How about at least putting a catalytic converter on the exhaust.
 
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