Before you decide to use an EV as a towed

[CrabbyMilton]

Yeah and walking to school and back home uphill both ways in the snow even in May.
With the wolves chasing after him and crazy old drunk Zeek chasing him with the tractor at 6:00am. There was no TV either, they sat in the living room and stared at the wall every night.

[buswarrior]

If the EV is being towed 4 down...

Why would it need charged?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Jim Blackwood]

If the EV is being towed 4 down...
Why would it need charged?

Couldn't you just set it to charge itself while it's towed?

Jim

[chessie4905]

probably an option in future.

[windtrader]

Living out here on the west coast shows me the way. The issues related to charging at the office are being addressed. The distance traveller has increasing options.


Workplace charging is nearly old news. Here are a couple of images of where EV charging is gaining traction. When I was at PayPal there were about 25-30 chargers in the first row of the parking lot. The rule was to charge up then move your car. So, first come gets the morning charge. Take a lunch break and move your car to free up spots for the afternoon crowd. Not having personal experience with the system, hard to say how effective it was overall but most spots seemed occupied. Hogs never moved or lots of cars needing charging?


The transition will be a decade or more, so things will take time.


Don't forget that one can use solar charging at home (i.e. decentralized)  to lessen the carbon and pollution impacts too.


This topic is about EV as a toad or stretching to EV evolution in general. It is not in any way talking about the ongoing need for petroleum based products over the long term, just about the EV revolution's impact on fossil fuel reduction.


As to the portable generator - they already got that one figured out - called "hybrid" LOL

[richard5933]

@Windtrader  I understand what you are saying about charging at work and home, and even at the mall. Not sure what things are like out west but in many parts of the country in urban and near-urban areas street parking is the norm - at home, at work, and while shopping. This is the part of the equation that will be difficult to solve.

Moving your car at lunch so others can charge? Large plants sometimes have remote parking - employees are rushed to eat and use the restroom on their half hour lunch as it is - they'd use up their entire break shuttling their car.

I guess my point really boils down to the fact that this transition is going to be the toughest on the people who are already struggling, especially when inexpensive used ICE vehicles are no longer an option.

[Nova Eona]

It will be many years yet before those inexpensive ICE vehicles go away, judging the future EV landscape on the fallacies of the present in this case doesn't make sense.

[chessie4905]

could you run a jumper set from a parked Tesla to your own to steal his charge? Might be the ticket at large parking lots, like airports, or parking garages.

[freds]

could you run a jumper set from a parked Tesla to your own to steal his charge? Might be the ticket at large parking lots, like airports, or parking garages.

Ah no, there is no buddy system where you can hand off juice to another car.

Tripple AAA does have some rescue vehicles that can deliver a mobile charge in larger cities but I don't hear much of them being used.

Most people don't venture much more than 20 miles from home and virtually nobody has at home gas refueling, however practically everyone has electricity...

A happy EV is one that is plugged in regularly for less wear and tear on the battery pack. If you do that you always leave with a full tank in the morning.

It's to the point that I resent having to go to the gas station!!! Which I do have to do regularly if I am putting miles on the Diesel pickup. Kind of pisses me off that the fuel gauge has dropped each time I get into it.

Anyway yes people have recharged electric cars by towing them, but there's nothing automatic about the process...

I think the cat's meow for us would be the ability to flat tow a cyber truck that could give us hill assist and extra breaking LOL!

[richard5933]

...however practically everyone has electricity...

They may have electricity, but that doesn't mean they have a parking spot on their property. Or near their electricity.

Solutions like charing at home at great in the suburbs, not so much for those who can't park at home. All those living and working in dense neighborhoods will need another option.

[windtrader]

There were, still are experiments in replaceable battery packs. You drive up over a changing station. The existing battery pack unhooks, slides away, and a charged pack is replaced in a few minutes. Maybe even faster than waiting for an empty gas tank to fill up.


You would lease the battery pack, then pay some charge for the replaced cell. An interesting idea both in terms of offering alternatives to charging back up and also to Richard's point, lowering the barrier of entry.


I'm not big on government handouts but maybe some form of subsidy to kick off a means-tested program to lessen the upfront cost to lower income folks. But I do agree this rollout, like many, puts the lower income folks at the back of the pack but that is the nature of any new technology that rolls out. Early adopters shoulder the brunt of the development and initial production costs.

All those living and working in dense neighborhoods . . .

And for those who have fewer access to charging facilities at work and home, then there are options like already available where you can get a charge with the swipe of a card.

[CrabbyMilton]

Here's one for the idea of an EV toad. Run a cable somehow from the coach and charge it while enroute via the generator.

[richard5933]

Here's one for the idea of an EV toad. Run a cable somehow from the coach and charge it while enroute via the generator.

Check out the headlines from Airstream & Thor. They are working on a prototype eTrailer which has an electric drive axle to help propel the trailer and take a load off the tow vehicle. It will also have regenerative braking.

I can see someone developing a similar system to tether an EV behind a motorhome and be able to have the EV use its regenerative braking to augment the regular brakes as well as to keep its batteries charged. Might even be able to give the bus towing it a little extra push like Dan likes to do.

[luvrbus]

Most shopping areas in Scottsdale have charging for the EV like Whole Foods,it is free but how long the stations are going to remain free is the question, common senesce tells you the cost has to be passed on 

[Busted Knuckle]

I know nothing about these electric cars and don't want to know about them. When I can no longer buy gas or diesel for my vehicles I'll just join my Amish neighbors and get a horse!

But I have seen charging stations that have the place to swipe a credit card, so someone has already jumped on the "charging to charge" program!
  BK