EV 'spare gas can'

bwilson4web

bwilson4web

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REQUIREMENTS
  • Charging EV without a charging network.
  • Electric power when parked anywhere.
MARKET RESEARCH

I have been shopping for a portable generator (aka., EV equivalent of a spare gas can) that could be independent of any charging network and found:
  • Sportsman Gasoline 4,000W Portable Generator
    • Sustained 3,500W
    • 1,750 W, 10 hrs, 3.6 gallons = 17.5 kWh
    • 70 mi ~= 4 mi/kWh * 17.5 kWh (@4 mi/kWh)
      • ~20 mi/gal = 70 mi / 3.6 gal
  • 23" x 20" x 18"
  • 101 lbs
  • 120 VAC NEMA TT-30 (3.6 kW)
    • ~14 mi range per hour (4 mi/kWh)
  • ~$300 purchase
  • Air cooled
OPERATIONAL SCENARIO

Both of my EVs, a 2019 Tesla Model 3 and 2017 BMW i3-REx, have a 2" receiver hitch and one shared, removable, 2" rear carrier platform. Mount the generator on platform with folding, adjustable legs so only 50 lbs has to be raised at a time.

The 2017 BMW i3-REx has a range extender with ~88 mi gas range. But it does not have a range extender engine mode with power outlets when parked. Once parked, It has a limited, 150 W, inverter on a very small 12 V battery.

My 2019 Tesla Model 3 Std Rng has a 48 kWh, traction battery with no power outlets. There is a 150 W, 12 V source from a very small battery.

Bob Wilson
 
Hyundai had a hybrid Sonata with a solar roof. A buddy of mine had one, said it was unreal how far he could get on a gallon of fuel on a sunny day, (He drove regularly between LA and Phoenix). Perhaps the technology is not quite there/cost-effective yet, but I really thought you'd see something where maybe the hood/roof/trunk is all a big solar panel extending your range. I would think you could get close to 1000W in a place like TX or here in AZ. Not quite a generator but much less heavy than toting extra batteries maybe? A "roll-out" thin film solar charger might be interesting as well, stop for lunch, roll out 2-3KW worth of solar film and feed it to your car while you eat.
 
Keith Smith said:
Hyundai had a hybrid Sonata with a solar roof. A buddy of mine had one, said it was unreal how far he could get on a gallon of fuel on a sunny day, (He drove regularly between LA and Phoenix). Perhaps the technology is not quite there/cost-effective yet, but I really thought you'd see something where maybe the hood/roof/trunk is all a big solar panel extending your range. I would think you could get close to 1000W in a place like TX or here in AZ. Not quite a generator but much less heavy than toting extra batteries maybe? A "roll-out" thin film solar charger might be interesting as well, stop for lunch, roll out 2-3KW worth of solar film and feed it to your car while you eat.
Click to expand...
Aptera has poured big bucks into developing custom-fitted solar cells for their trike. That vehicle will demonstrate what's feasible now.
 
I appreciate the solar array suggestion but I need 24x7, portable power even if inefficient. Having already paid ~2/3d of the cost of my proposed generator, I'm not ready to pay for another tow. Plus, I have some 'forbidden' experiments to run.

Bob Wilson
 
The only problem with toting a generator is that you are toting a generator. And now you are also toting a 1-5 gallon gas can to run the generator. And I'd bet a 4KW generator is not going to like pumping 3.6ish into your car sustained. Maybe. Also, to get that 3.6 your generator really ought to be 240V, though some of the Chinese EVSE's allow any input voltage your efficiency loss is going to be higher stepping up from 120v. 3.6KW = 30A charging rate. The variable rate units I have do like 12,16,20,24,32,40. If you have something that can cap at 30A that would work, even 28A would be OK and likely more realistic sustained output from a 4KW. Somebody did some sustained output testing on YouTube, might be worth a peek.

Some of the real small portables are "Gangable", I'd also look into maybe 2 much smaller 2200's in parallel. The overall footprint would be more portable, you could just throw them in the back, you'd have to fill the smaller fuel reservoirs more frequently, but it would be much more convenient to tote and move around, especially for an old coot like me. I really just don't see where I would ever want to do this. I've never let my EV drop so low I was in turtle mode. If I was in a fixed off-grid area, I'd go ahead and get a BIG 10KW and/or solar. IMNSHO If I have to charge my EV with a generator, then I probably brought the wrong vehicle for whatever I'm trying to accomplish.

If I'm going to tow something out in a rescue situation, or take it with on a trailer, or rear basket frame, you might as well get something big and 240V. I looked into a Westinghouse dual-fuel, they have a unit under $1000, 9.6 on gasoline, 8.5 on propane. Weighs about 200lb, claims 12 hours on a 6 gallon fuel tank. Now you can just hit with a 240/32A charge, so 7600W is putting you at 30 miles for your hour. I actually considered this to avoid paying a vehicle shipping charge on an EV from California before there were adequate charging facilities. At the time it was $600 to ship it, I figured could get a big generator as a keeper it would end up costing me about 1/2. But golly that is some expensive electricity for my car.
 
Not a permanent solution. Just enough for some ‘forbidden’ experiments. Mapping the ‘battery reserve.’

Bob Wilson
 
bwilson4web said:
Not a permanent solution. Just enough for some ‘forbidden’ experiments. Mapping the ‘battery reserve.’

Bob Wilson
Click to expand...

If I was experimenting running batteries to drop-dead, I think I'd arrange it so I was reasonably near at least a dryer plug somewhere. And I would go with a pair of the 2K's. Once an individual piece of equipment gets over 100lbs it gets obnoxious to move around. Amazon has a 'Pulsar' genny listed. Two 2300's about $350ea another 100 for the parallel kit. Claims < 60dB. $800 all in. Fill them both up w/2 gal of fuel, you should get well over an hour at a full load. Carry an extra 2gal can if needed. Heck, in for a penny, I'd actually probably ony use 1, bring a portable BBQ and a cooler full of ummm soda (we are driving after all) and some burgers. Once you have your 5-10 miles just drive to that dryer plug. You ought to be able to work it so you were within 5 miles or so of something reasonable you can pull at least 240/16 from, to run your next iteration.

When your experiment is thru, you have a couple of nice reasonably quiet tailgate party generators that are small enough to carry around, without throwing your back out. If you actually had time, one 2.3K should really get you enough to get you 6 miles or so in an hour. I can get my Niro close to 5mi/KWH if I baby it, and keep the speed down, and the Kona is even better. I'd love to see how it works out in terms of actual range / gal genny fuel.
 
Still poking around. . .
GENMAX 3200-Watt RV Ready Portable Generator ( EPA )
The best GENMAX inverter generators power you up when your home is without power or when you're traveling . Is your ideal portable power solution .


  • Engine:4-stroke 145cc OHV
  • Fuel Tank:1 Gallon
  • Fuel Type:Gasoline
  • Starting Wattage:3200W
  • Running Wattage:2800W
  • Product Dimensions:18.9" x 17.3" x11.5"
  • Runtime:4 Hours 50%-Load
  • Low Oil Shut-off
  • Emissions:EPA
This should work with a cheap 20A multivolt EVSE, that would put you at 2400W for maybe 2 hours. Claims to be < 50lbs. Claims to be "Ultra Quiet". Your 4KW sportsmans generator is showing $325 at HomeDepot, and its listed at 69dB no load, and the QA sez ~90lb.
 
If I do go with the 'EV spare", it will mostly sit at home the first year. I need to test the battery reserve in different climate conditions. But I'll let either one of my neighbors 'borrow it' should we have an extended power outage.

Bob Wilson
 
insightman said:
Aptera has poured big bucks into developing custom-fitted solar cells for their trike. That vehicle will demonstrate what's feasible now.
Click to expand...
Aptera just increased its solar power by removing 4 solar cells from locations where they didn't produce much power and dragged down the total output of the hatch-mounted cells. The hood and cockpit are also covered with solar cells. The Aptera will be a great test of the feasibility of an off-the-grid EV.
 
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