Hypothetical extended range idea.

[Rogerschro]

So now that I have my FFE I was thinking about driving for distances beyond it's range and the limitations of charging stations available in my neck of the woods. (Southwestern Ohio) There are stations, but not in very convenient places and usually nowhere near points of interest such as state parks. My current plan is to use my C-max for such trips, but what if I can't? Or if I had only the FFE?
The talk of newer extended range vehicles is great but what to do with the current cars already being produced? I have an Idea that may work. Someone could make an extended range trailer! You could then tow a small trailer with batteries mounted in it and have some storage as well for luggage, maybe even a roof rack for those longer trips. Your car could be fitted with a cable to connect the power from the trailer just like the plugs for tail lights. When you need extended range, you hook up the trailer and double or triple your distance, but for general local driving you just leave it at home.
The trailer could be as small as some of the ones you see for motorcycles or just a bit larger, and stay within the towing capacity of the FFE or other EVs.
Expanding on this idea, Ford and others could offer kits or build it into the new model as an extended range option. There could even be rental 'EVERT' (Electric Vehicle Extended Range Trailers) that you could get at Uhaul or any car rental for really long trips, just drop off one trailer and pick up the next! ( yes, I even have the acronym for them!!! :lol: )

Sound crazy? What do you think?
maybe like this?

 

[jmueller065]

Well considering there are strong rumors that Ford will be making a "Focus Energi" soon your extended range idea will be incorporated in the ICE engine that will be under the hood.

You are making the assumption that the car will allow you to charge it while driving down the road--I don't think the software will let you do that (given by the "unplug" message that appears when you attempt to start it while plugged in).

 

[Kakkerlak]

It's not a "crazy" idea, only an impractical one because of the design and construction of the currently available EVs it could be used with. Realistically you're aiming at the Nissan Leaf fleet if you want to talk about broad adoption.

As has been pointed out, you would need a sinewave AC generator if you wanted to plug it into the J1772 port, and of course an unmodified EV wouldn't move if it was plugged in. You would end up losing power both converting to 240V AC and converting back to 360V DC.

So instead the auxiliary battery system would have to tap directly into the existing DC bus and be controlled by the existing battery management system. Each EV would need to have its BMS modified to handle an external battery pack, so there would need to be power electronics onboard the trailer both to interface with the BMS and to regulate the voltage so it's similar to the existing EV bus.

Again, it's not a technically impossible idea, but it would require so much modification of current EVs or buy-in from a large number of EV makers at the OEM level that I don't think it's practical. Look at how difficult it is for EV makers to agree on an EVSE connector !

At the recent Drive Electric Week car show near Seattle, a guy showed up in an awesome electrified Fiero with a range-extender trailer.

Picture Link

He plugged it into another EV club member's electrified F-250 to give it a charge !

 

[michael]

The easy solution to this (albeit quirky) is what's called a "pusher trailer". Basically, the trailer has a gas engine and helps push the EV along. This even charges up the battery. I know a guy who built one out of the rear clip of an old VW bug. He uses it to get between Utah and Los Angeles in an EV. When he gets to the destination, he disconnects the trailer and uses the EV in the normal manner.

From the car's perspective, it's the same as descending a 1000 mile long grade and having gravity maintain speed and regen the battery.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x231293

 

[EVA]

Really great thinking. Of course there are a million technical problems, all of which are totally solvable.

What I love about this, even the gasoline engine pusher thing - if you want more range, hook this thing up. No need to haul around all that extra weight and nonsense for your daily commute. You could maybe call it an EV with a removable hybrid part.

The biggest issue is market size. I just don't think there are enough people that could use this to make it viable (at least with current EVs on the road).

The other problem I see is center of gravity. A heavy battery and other stuff is going to sit up high on a trailer. That will make handling not so wonderful.

 

[NightHawk]

How about some kind of portable electrical power generator that an Emergency Road Service truck could carry to do a quick battery charge on the spot for a stranded electric car rather than towing the car to the nearest Ford dealer with a charging station? Kinda the equivalent of what they do now for a stranded gas car, bringing a gallon or two of gas.

 

[WattsUp]

How about some kind of portable electrical power generator that an Emergency Road Service truck could carry to do a quick battery charge on the spot for a stranded electric car rather than towing the car to the nearest Ford dealer with a charging station? Kinda the equivalent of what they do now for a stranded gas car, bringing a gallon or two of gas.

Like this?
http://www.plugincars.com/aaa-level-3-capable-mobile-charging-truck-rescue-126791.html

 

[NightHawk]

Like this?
http://www.plugincars.com/aaa-level-3-capable-mobile-charging-truck-rescue-126791.html

YES! Exactly!
I wish AAA would have those L3 charger trucks available in other cities like San Diego too.
I would join AAA for that.
Though our free Ford Roadside Assistance should consider something like that as well.

 

[michael]

Remember that, unlike a hydrogen car or even a gasoline car, an EV can charge up at any of a billion 110 V outlets. Literally, if you can find a house or a place of business you can get some charge. Obviously, there are places so isolated this won't work, but they are the exception. Only then do you need the auto club for a charge or tow.

If there are people around, I can't imagine them not letting you plug in if you get in a jam.

 

[WattsUp]

If there are people around, I can't imagine them not letting you plug in if you get in a jam.

Yeah, but you might have to convince them that it won't cost much. You may have to fight a misconception that "size of thing plugged in" equals "size of electric bill".

 

[michael]

In some cases unfortunately that is true, but convincing them or giving them a few $$$ might be faster and easier than dealing with tow truck.

 

[hybridbear]

The problem with just finding a 120V outlet is how slow the car charges. 4 miles per hour charge rate is pretty slow.

 

[michael]

Right of course, but it may get you to a better location. Normal Auto Club tow is limited to 7 miles unless you have premium coverage. And you will need to deal with waiting for the driver, insisting on a flatbed, etc.

 

[NightHawk]

Right of course, but it may get you to a better location. Normal Auto Club tow is limited to 7 miles unless you have premium coverage. And you will need to deal with waiting for the driver, insisting on a flatbed, etc.

Free Ford Roadside Assistance will tow to nearest Ford electric-certified dealer.
But they should have some trucks with an onboard L2 charger to avoid towing in this case.

 

[davideos]

Right of course, but it may get you to a better location. Normal Auto Club tow is limited to 7 miles unless you have premium coverage. And you will need to deal with waiting for the driver, insisting on a flatbed, etc.

Free Ford Roadside Assistance will tow to nearest Ford electric-certified dealer.
But they should have some trucks with an onboard L2 charger to avoid towing in this case.

In Southern California when my battery died in the rush-hour commute, Ford Roadside gave me a 1 hour wait. AAA gave me 30 min window and arrived in 15. On another note, why is a flatbed so important? Lift the front tires, the back tires roll. Just don't leave the parking brake on.

 

[NightHawk]

In Southern California when my battery died in the rush-hour commute, Ford Roadside gave me a 1 hour wait. AAA gave me 30 min window and arrived in 15. On another note, why is a flatbed so important? Lift the front tires, the back tires roll. Just don't leave the parking brake on.

I would expect AAA to deliver the best service considering it costs $48/year ($4/month) compared to free for Ford Roadside. AAA also covers you, rather than a specific car, so works even if you borrow or rent a car.
My insurance company also offers a similar Roadside service for 98c/month per car.

 

[Rogerschro]

LOL! And here I was posting about AVOIDING having to borrow electric or run out of power on a long trip! Sure I can find charging stations or beg a plug from someone, the idea was to not have to do these things! Oh well, it was an interesting idea.....

 

[WattsUp]

On another note, why is a flatbed so important? Lift the front tires, the back tires roll. Just don't leave the parking brake on.

Two possible reasons I can think of:

• It is simply a "cover all" requirement that will prevent any "bad" towing (e.g., lifting the car from the back and dragging the front); if you simply "require" a flatbed, then nobody can mess up!
• The car is very heavy, perhaps the rear suspension is not designed for much travel at the odd angle required for towing?

Admittedly, these are just guesses.

 

[michael]

I never permit any of my cars to be wheel lift towed. Unless, I suppose it's just for a few hundred yards or something like to that...

Of course, when they take me from a towaway zone, I don't get any choice in the matter...

 

[davideos]

LOL! And here I was posting about AVOIDING having to borrow electric or run out of power on a long trip! Sure I can find charging stations or beg a plug from someone, the idea was to not have to do these things! Oh well, it was an interesting idea.....

That's just what happens on the forums...pick any posted topic that has more than a page of commentary and you'll find that in many cases, the start topic and end topic are different. Sometimes I find it hard to search for posts that I've made before because the topic I'm looking for is in a thread that starts differently.