Removable Range Extender Generator Possibly Spied in F150 Lightning Test Prototype

[Mr. Flibble]

So we’re getting close to the holy grail - perpetual motion!

Other than all the gas obeying the laws of thermodynamics.

The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

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[Yellow Buddy]

Other than all the gas obeying the laws of thermodynamics.

The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

It just needs to be more efficient. Instead of using an extender on our EV to converting gas to electric, and then electricity into motion. It would be more efficient to directly convert the gas to motion, therefore increasing efficiency….thereby creating a far more efficient electric vehicle

Is this how logic works?

 

[Lightning_Bob]

I sure hope they are testing this. Still not sure how it would hook up - best guess is through the rear pro-power-on-board?

It is a nice thought, but It would seem unlikely - The Pro Power on Board has always been stated to be a means to power devices - not to receive power...General flow would be Battery System--> DC to AC inverter --> outputs to pro power 240v 30amp & 120v 20amp circuits around the truck...

For the pro power on board to receiver power - lets assume 240v AC - the inverter that is connected to the outlets has to be able to not only (by design) convert 400v DC to 240V & 120V ac, but also be able to convert AC (240v) to DC (400v) to put energy into the battery...unless physically designed to do this from the get-go (and be expensive) this isn't going to happen...

...Going to a step further - lets say it can received 240v AC and was able to charge the battery - This circuit is rated at 7.2kw....you'd really need at least 36kw to have a chance at sustaining 65 mph or to slow the depletion enough to make it worth the effort....

If going through the effort to charge while driving - it would be much more efficient to have the generator put out the proper voltage 400v DC directly to the battery system - instead of going from a 240v generator to an inverter to the battery resulting in some conversion loss and adding additional points of failure...

 

[Amps]

you'd really need at least 36kw to have a chance at sustaining 65 mph or to slow the depletion enough to make it worth the effort....

If going through the effort to charge while driving - it would be much more efficient to have the generator put out the proper voltage 400v DC directly to the battery system - instead of going from a 240v generator to an inverter to the battery resulting in some conversion loss and adding additional points of failure...

I think your second paragraph is spot on. I think your first paragraph sets too high a bar for a practical Rex. If you could directly access the HV battery while driving with something fashioned after a 400VDC @~45A 18 kW marine generator, wouldn't you roughly double the range? This would be for straight out highway driving between DCFC in charging wastelands. It would be like having a self-contained FCSP for emergency use. Bonus points if you could rent a Blue Oval Rex from your local Ford dealer when you head out with your Airstream.

 

[wiffleballpractice]

I think your second paragraph is spot on. I think your first paragraph sets too high a bar for a practical Rex. If you could directly access the HV battery while driving with something fashioned after a 400VDC @~45A 18 kW marine generator, wouldn't you roughly double the range? This would be for straight out highway driving between DCFC in charging wastelands. It would be like having a self-contained FCSP for emergency use. Bonus points if you could rent a Blue Oval Rex from your local Ford dealer when you head out with your Airstream.

Depends on how much gas you can carry with it. 18kw is going to be roughly 1.7-2 gallons per hour for a gas generator (give or take based on generator efficiency). 18kw is not going to push the truck at 70mph by itself, though.

If I was designing a rex for the lightning, I would let the batteries push the one motor and a generator push the other, then you could get away with a smaller generator, like 18kw, with that, you might be able to nearly double highway efficiency. Using above numbers, that would mean an extra 140-164 highway (70mph) miles from 4 gallons of gas.

 

[RidetheLightning]

here's a FREE range extender:

start at the top of a big hill...

Life hack: you could move near a quarry on a hill or some other business that operates at a high elevation and offer to haul stuff down the hill for free or cheap for them to top up your battery. Or live in a high elevation community and offer to take heavy stuff down the hill for your neighbors for free.

You could also offer to pick up hitchhikers at the top of mountain passes but only if they just need to get to the valley below . . .

 

[Kev12345]

Judging by the comments in here, I think a plug in hybrid F150 (with decent EV range) would be pretty popular.

 

[2000Firehawk]

Judging by the comments in here, I think a plug in hybrid F150 (with decent EV range) would be pretty popular.

This is very true. Having had a number of plug-in hybrids, they are fantastic compromises. My wife drives a RAV4 Prime which has enough EV range to cover almost any day's work and kid travel. It will do close to 50 miles in the summer on EV only and 30+ in the winter. Plus, it charges in 2.5 hours on our home charger, so even a short amount of time at home between work and kid sports practice can recover enough to keep you gas-free most of the time. Then, of course, you still have the ICE so you don't have to think at all about taking it on a family road trip. I like the Lightning a lot and am going to give it a shot on a 1,500 mile road trip in a couple weeks, but I would have spent 90% less time planning what we are doing if we took the RAV4.

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