Portable EV charging.

[Akanaten]

This looks interesting?
Full story here.
https://zap-map.us6.list-manage.com...42648b6611be5e55ae&id=4ab28df7b1&e=eb1c5a3a6d

ZipCharge Go portable EV charger at advanced prototype stage

ZipCharge, a pioneer in portable electric vehicle (EV) charging, has announced a major milestone for its portable EV charger, the aptly named ‘Go’. The portable charger is now advancing to validation prototype (VP) stage, with designs released for manufacture and hardware testing well underway.

 

[GvilleGuy]

Strap one in the back seat and 'go'. So it adds 20 - 40 miles in 30 - 60 minutes via Type 2. I don't see specs on how much it weighs. I assume the extra weight of carrying it in the SE would subtract from range to some extent.

 

[FrankinCarp]

An interesting device with some potential useful applications. From the information on the company’s website, I think I would position it as battery equivalent of a small jerry can of gasoline carried in your trunk for an ICE car.
There is one aspect I would be concerned about. The suggestion is that you can use it anywhere you park and it would provide the 20-40 miles of recharge in 30-60 minutes. I would be concerned about the security and risk of theft if the thing is sitting beside your car for that long unattended.
In a package the size of a small suitcase, likely costing $800 (or more), I think it might be an easy and attractive target for theft.
There are articles about catalytic converters stolen from cars while parked (perhaps in sketchy places) - more difficult than stealing a rolling lithium battery suitcase.


Mike Wazowski [emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063]
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[teslarati97]

The market rates are $1/watt so if you are estimating 4mi/kWh then 20-40 miles of range will land you in the $5,000-$10,000 range. Based on the shape of the device, it looks like pouch cells are being used. A NCM 712 or 811 is around 0.3kWh/kg so the battery pack alone would weight between 38lbs to 73lbs using the 5kWh to 10kWh estimates. Would be great for charge rescue services but maybe not for consumers.

 

[insightman]

ZipCharge Go is at the advanced prototype stage? EcoFlow has been on the market for a while. Here's a video of an EcoFlow battery charging a Tesla. Here's a video showing charging a Bolt with an EcoFlow battery (by a guy who's been twice stranded chargeless by the side of the road in an i3). A special plug accessory is required to fake the car into believing it's connected to a grounded power source.

 

[FrankinCarp]

The market rates are $1/watt so if you are estimating 4mi/kWh then 20-40 miles of range will land you in the $5,000-$10,000 range. Based on the shape of the device, it looks like pouch cells are being used. A NCM 712 or 811 is around 0.3kWh/kg so the battery pack alone would weight between 38lbs to 73lbs using the 5kWh to 10kWh estimates. Would be great for charge rescue services but maybe not for consumers.

“The Go will only cost the same as a fully installed home charger, meaning you can enjoy the benefits of home charging without penalty”

That is from the Zipcharge.global (UK website). Certainly urban centers in the UK (and elsewhere) have far less private off street/garage parking making power installations a bigger

I ball-parked the cost in my previous post for the L2 charge itself. Adding the installation of a circuit in my garage brought the price up to roughly $1500 in Canada. Costs in the UK could well be higher.

I do agree it is perhaps more suited to rescue charge services.


Mike Wazowski [emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063]
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[AndysComputer]

I have a Bluetti AC200P which is a 2kWh LiFePo battery with 2kW inverter output and a 700W solar input as well as 400W AC charger.
The thing cost $1,600 but more importantly weighs 60lb.
Charging the car from it gives about 1.7kWh or about 7 miles of range assuming 4 miles per kWh.
If I carried it in the trunk I feel like it would likely cost me 2-3 miles of range due to weight so I’m not entirely convinced by the practicality of these things. It’s not as practical as carrying a spare gallon of gas.
So I’m very skeptical that something that size can add 20-30 miles or range and frankly regardless of price and size would be only for the likes of AAA to carry, not the average driver.

 

[teslarati97]

LFP (LiFePo4) averages to 0.125kWh/kg so if you want 5-10kWh, that's going to be 88lbs to 176lbs just for the batteries. Just for comparative purposes, a Tesla NCM 13.5kWh Powerwall weighs 251lbs and 344lbs for solar integrated Powerwall+.

Those wheels on the ZipCharge don't look that beefy so it leads me to believe it is pouch cell NCM in a landscape orientation (for weight balancing).

 

[SpeedyRS]

That is from the Zipcharge.global (UK website). Certainly urban centers in the UK (and elsewhere) have far less private off street/garage parking making power installations a bigger

I ball-parked the cost in my previous post for the L2 charge itself. Adding the installation of a circuit in my garage brought the price up to roughly $1500 in Canada. Costs in the UK could well be higher.

I do agree it is perhaps more suited to rescue charge services.


Mike Wazowski [emoji1063][emoji1063][emoji1063]
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My EVSE is a Hypervolt smart charger delivering 7.4kW. Including installation, ours cost £1100, or around C$1900 (according to XE.com). After the government grant (which is ending next month) and a further grant from a Scottish zero emissions organisation it actually cost us £500. I would guess this suitcase of power would be around the £1200-£1500 range if it ties in with the cost of a wall charger.
I might be completely missing the point of this but I don’t know who this is actually for. If it’s for taking on a trip it’s going to use most of the boot space in our Minis, and if you have a much larger EV, chances are it’s got more range than you need on a daily basis anyway. It may persuade someone scared of making the switch to EV because of a perception that there will be constant range anxiety, and this acts as a safety net, and if that’s the case then that’s fair enough. I also agree with @FrankinCarp. I’d be concerned about it getting nicked. It’s much easier to steal than a catalytic converter and they’d probably get more for it.

 

[Puppethead]

If I carried it in the trunk I feel like it would likely cost me 2-3 miles of range due to weight so I’m not entirely convinced by the practicality of these things. It’s not as practical as carrying a spare gallon of gas.

I don't think many people drive around with full cans of gasoline, and most shouldn't need to drive around with a battery backup source. The advantage to these are, as @teslarati97 says, for rescue scenarios.

When someone in an ICE vehicle runs out of fuel, roadside service will bring a can of fuel to the stranded motorist and give enough of a fill to get to a fueling station. I see the same scenario for a BEV that runs out of charge. I'd much rather be able to have someone bring power to me than to have to wait for a tow somewhere just to charge.

Of course, with the bidirectional charging that's coming with newer BEVs that'll be even better. Run out of charge, call your friend/companion/whomever who drives something like an F-150 Lightning and have them come to you and give you some of their juice. I hope someone is making cables with J1772 plugs on both ends.

 

[teslarati97]

Suppose you exclusively used Electrify America DC Fast charge ($0.43/kWh non-members or $0.31/kWh + $4/mo w/ membership across most US states). At a hypothetical 12,000 miles driven per year and 4 mi/kWh (includes charging losses) then it would cost about $1,290/year or $978/year for EA members.

 

[Urbanengineer]

In recent years the “charge at the side of the road” AAA options tested in high density EV markets led them to figure it was cheaper to just tow drivers to a DC Fast charge station.

It’s expensive to operate a business where you have these unique chargers with their own sets of issues and charging needs. KISS, just tow the cars.

 

[insightman]

In recent years the “charge at the side of the road” AAA options tested in high density EV markets led them to figure it was cheaper to just tow drivers to a DC Fast charge station.

It’s expensive to operate a business where you have these unique chargers with their own sets of issues and charging needs. KISS, just tow the cars.

The tow-option makes much more sense than tying up a tow-truck and driver in a possibly dangerous location while waiting for the chargeless car to gain the ability to get to a charging station or to its home.

 

[Tommm]

About 2003 my brother's car was having its clutch replaced, and he borrowed my Z-28 to make a court appearance on eastern Long Island. He knew the gas was low, but not how low it was with the V shaped tank and linear gauge. It ran out of gas when leaving. Right in front of the steps of the federal courthouse. The federal police told him if he left the vehicle they would have to blow it up, and they couldn't get gas. I was in Manhattan when he called. AAA came, but forgot the gasoline, and it would be 4 hours till they could get to him again.

I took the train to our mechanic, picked up his car and borrowed a gas can from our wrench and about three hours after the ordeal started poured gas into the car with cops ready to fire if I moved wrong. Maybe this gizmo is something to keep in the car.