770
hmmm (thelemmy.club)
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by to c/hmmm@lemmy.world
162 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 27 points 6 months ago (9 children)

At the same time, I've wondered if it would be helpful for EVs on some long-distance road trips to tow/stow a generator for overnight and emergency charging. Charging stations are popping up more and more, but if you're saddled with an obsolete or under-served charging port type (e.g. Nissan Leaf), having a generator would be valuable insurance.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 9 child comments
    •
  • [–] 13 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    damn, nissan leaf is under served? I guess that product placement in sim city whichever fucking year glass box was didn't pay off

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 11 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Every EV can just hook up with a (mostly) passive adapter to any outlet and get a charge. It won't be fast (especially if you are cursed with a 110V outlet), but even in the boonies an overnight trickle charge will get you to the nearest fast charger. Just get the relevant adapters for your car.

    This is basically what your generator would do except you want to lug it around instead of leveraging the cables that we pulled within driving distance of everywhere but the most remote trails? The whole point of electricity is its versatility and ubiquity!

    FYI using a wall plug to charge an EV is a perfectly normal thing to do. For a small(ish) commute, regular 220V@10A is way more than enough to get back to full overnight. It won't give you 500 km of range, but only freaks and truckers drive 500 km every day.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago* (1 child)

    Mostly right but in the US we have way more dead zones, and we also have 110-120v outlets in most places. There are 220-240v outlets, but mostly only for electric ranges, dryers, and big AC units, and almost never outside a house or hotel. And charging at 120v 20amps does kinda suck. About as much as using this generator would.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago*

    That's all true. And FWIW, I've only ever charged my EV on 120v at home, so I'm familiar with the limitations.

    I'm thinking of the worst case where my trip planner accidentally sends me to a location where the intended charger is long gone or in-use, and I have too little charge to make it to the next viable location. Also: it's 3AM and nobody is open. Sure, I could sleep that off in the car and/or throw myself on the mercy of some hotel, but that's sketchy in other ways. Or maybe I'm stranded due to a moment's inattention?

    To me, that all reduces to "be resourceful" so why not pack some additional resources?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    FYI using a wall plug to charge an EV is a perfectly normal thing to do. For a small(ish) commute, regular 220V@10A is way more than enough to get back to full overnight. It won’t give you 500 km of range, but only freaks and truckers drive 500 km every day.

    When I've crunched the numbers in the past, more efficient EVs would get something like 50 miles overnight for a commuter with just a 120V outlet to work with, so if you get one full charge over the weekend, it'll still be fully charged by the next weekend if you didn't deviate from your commute, or a maybe a bit lower if you did.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    I've been thinking about getting a Slate truck eventually, and I'm suddenly realizing a generator on a trailer might be good for overlanding, since there aren't any chargers on remote trails.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent