Electric Vehicle Range Extender Generator

[Firn]

3kw would give you about 6 miles of range at 2.1 mi/kw. But I said 3kwh, meaning it would charge up to 3kwh throughout the day, which would give you between 45-65 miles of range if you capture 10-12hrs of sunlight with the anticipation you don’t always get a full 3kwh charge from them.

Some funky math there, but if you get 3kwh per hour, that IS 3kw of charging. If it's 3kwh throughout the day, like you said, then that is at best SIX miles throughout the day.
More fun, out of that is that if towing something with 3kw of panels on it you likely are getting around 1mi/kwh, if it is as you said, 3kwh throughout the day, then that's only 3 miles. If you in fact ment 3kwh per hour, which fits your math, then that IS a 3kw array. But again, 3kw over 10 hours is about 30 miles of towing range.

Regardless, that isn't a range extender in any manner, that's just stationary solar charging. A range extender is by definition something that happens while driving.

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[Chillguy]

Inductive charging infastructure would be, imo, the only way to give EVs any range extension. Super expensive since the hardware would have to be built into the roads, be able to connect with a variety of makes/models (so some sort of standard) and all the levels of government would have to be on board too. As many of the previous posters have said, solar on the vehicle doesn't give enough juice to be meaningful and carrying additional payload or trailer doesn't make sense since you're carrying more mass.

General idea would be to embed inductive coils in the road (major highways or interstates) where the biggest disadvantage of an EV is present, long range. As you drive on supported roads, the inductive charging would be sufficient to 'zero' out the energy consumed in movement; basically charge as you drive. This kind of infastructure wouldn't be needed in the city/urban areas since traditional charging infastructure would be strong there, but on long stretches of road between cities or in rural areas, this would be the only reasonable way I see a mass way of extending BEV range.

This is NEVER going to happen. Cost prohibitive.. BTW, I honestly don't have a problem stopping every 3 hours of highway driving to charge up, stretch my legs, go to the bathroom, grab a cup of coffee, etc.... Why some ppl are so fixated on long distance driving without stopping?... I find it very pleasant to be able to charge up at Tesla Superchargers (often at Buc-ee's) usually in about 30-40 minutes max. I made a Dallas-NYC round trip and I actually enjoyed it!... I must assume that there will be trucks with double the range in less than 10 years since the long range battery technology technically is already here so I am not worried at all. I often talk to other ICE drivers because they complement me on the truck and I know first hand majority of people still have no clue about EVs at all. For now I still love my Lightning more than a year after I bought it and I'm looking forward to the next generation with possibly longer range in 5-10 years time.

 

[BSEE SPARKY]

Try this:
https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Generac-MMG45IF4-STD3/p93078.html

Then you need way to do major rewire plus software to charge while driving. $100k if you don't charge your own labor and your pretty good with VHDL, and probably C (software like stuff).

 

[chl]

For solar cell range extension while driving you'd need a different more energy efficient and aerodynamically designed vehicle like an Aptera:

"Harness the power of the sun with Aptera. Equipped with 700 watts of integrated solar cells, you can drive up to 40 miles per day completely off the grid and enjoy 400 miles of range per full charge. "

https://aptera.us/

Not in production yet, but getting closer every day? I hope.

 

[Athrun88]

This is NEVER going to happen. Cost prohibitive.. BTW, I honestly don't have a problem stopping every 3 hours of highway driving to charge up, stretch my legs, go to the bathroom, grab a cup of coffee, etc.... Why some ppl are so fixated on long distance driving without stopping?... I find it very pleasant to be able to charge up at Tesla Superchargers (often at Buc-ee's) usually in about 30-40 minutes max. I made a Dallas-NYC round trip and I actually enjoyed it!... I must assume that there will be trucks with double the range in less than 10 years since the long range battery technology technically is already here so I am not worried at all. I often talk to other ICE drivers because they complement me on the truck and I know first hand majority of people still have no clue about EVs at all. For now I still love my Lightning more than a year after I bought it and I'm looking forward to the next generation with possibly longer range in 5-10 years time.

Just for the record, never said that it would be in any way cost effective. It would be, imo, the ideal way to give EVs the range people seem to want without relying on putting gas generators in EVs, effectively making them hybrids. I also do not have any issues with stopping, however, there is a subset of people out there who are still ingrained in the ICE mentality of being able to drive hundreds of miles/km without having to stop. I also do enjoy stopping because it forces me to take a break, stretch my legs, catch up on work emails, etc.. I got into BEVs because I personally believe that it is the future and people like us need to push both industry and governments to follow.

 

[hturnerfamily]

when we think of a dream way of 'extending' range, secondarily from the primary battery source of the vehicle, you are asking for either:

a) another battery, which would be heavy, and take up storage space
b) a generator, which uses fuel, such as gas or diesel, is heavy, and takes up storage space

: an 'extended range' battery option is already part of most manufacturers offerings, if you are willing to pay the price

: the new 'Ram Charger' reportedly has a generator(an engine, itself) in place of the 'engine' ... and supplies ONLY additional power to charge the battery, either while driving, or while parked.
"a liquid-cooled 92-kilowatt-hour battery pack paired with a 130-kilowatt generator. The 3.6L Pentastar® V6 engine generates mechanical power, which is converted to electrical power by the onboard generator for maximum efficiency"

.A novel idea, which some will support, but, while interesting to think of the additional range, you now have to:"
- carry FUEL
- make additional stops at gas/diesel stations
- have the additional maintenance of the fuel-based equipment
- endure the noise it will generate
- carry the additional WEIGHT, constantly, no matter whether it is being used, or not.

The same considerations can be said about HYBRID vehicles, especially PLUG-IN HYBRIDS, as they have been touted as the 'answer' to range, and range anxiety, bridging the gap for those considering 'full electric' vehicles... but,
- they must carry fuel
- make stops at gas stations
- maintain the traditional fuel-based equipment
- endure the engine noise, and the starting and stopping of the engine, itself...
- carry the additional weight of the EV equipment, motor, inverter, Converter, BATTERY, etc.
- include the additional cost of at-home charging equipment

 

[kf59]

Carry a Tesla powerwall and charge it up before you leave home? It’s like having a really heavy person along for the ride. Obviously, several technical hurdles and it won’t save time, but it just might squeeze into the froot (my Aussie wife does not like the term frunk).

 

[Firn]

Just for the record, never said that it would be in any way cost effective. It would be, imo, the ideal way to give EVs the range people seem to want without relying on putting gas generators in EVs, effectively making them hybrids. I also do not have any issues with stopping, however, there is a subset of people out there who are still ingrained in the ICE mentality of being able to drive hundreds of miles/km without having to stop. I also do enjoy stopping because it forces me to take a break, stretch my legs, catch up on work emails, etc.. I got into BEVs because I personally believe that it is the future and people like us need to push both industry and governments to follow.

I don't think many people really have an issue with the current "300-mile" EVs. Honestly, 2–3 hours of drive time is totally reasonable for most folks.

The real problem shows up when you're towing or hauling heavy loads. In that case, I just don't see a viable alternative to some kind of hybrid setup or range extender.

Inductive charging sounds cool in theory, but in practice? You’d need to install massive sections of roadway with it. And not just for a trickle charge — to actually keep up with consumption, you'd need to pump in about 70 kW just to break even at 1 mile per kWh (which is what heavy trucks can hit at 70 mph). If you actually wanted to add charge while driving, you’d be looking at closer to 100 kW, which is something like 260 amps at 385 volts. That’s no joke. So yeah, great in theory, but now you're stuck on roads with that infrastructure—and you still have to stop for food, rest, or bio-breaks anyway.

An external 35 kW generator could be a much more practical solution. It’s not exactly small, but you could rent one for the rare times you actually need it, instead of buying and hauling it around all the time. That generator would basically double your range while towing — going from ~100 miles (leaving a 30 kWh reserve on a 100 kWh pack) to about 200 miles before the battery runs dry. Not infinite, but way more workable.

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