Portable Charger?

[R.I.P.]

You mean the cable? I mean a power source - just a cable doesn't help if you're parked on a city street - no one is offering you their outlets, or stranded on a highway.

As has been pointed out by others, there is not a power source that is going to give you any appreciable amount of range, to include a generator. You are talking about a lot of weight and bulk for very little benefit.

On the other hand, on most cities streets you are maybe just a few blocks from a gas station that would let you use an outlet for a while.

Some advice from somebody who was running Eevees long before they were popular, and still runs EVs in places where most people should not; such as deep in Central America where I am at the moment lol.

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[Captain JB]

When I'm camping in the woods I always use one of these:

absolutely hilarious!!!!!

 

[usulio]

Even an entire Tesla wall battery is what? 10-15kW? That's not even designed to be carried around in a vehicle and that would get you at best, 10% charge.

Yep, this. And they are like 250 lbs and 6+ cubic feet, and cost over 10 grand. A portable version would have to be bigger and heavier, maybe a bit cheaper because Tesla but still.

Embrace the range anxiety. It'll go away with time.

 

[GuyR1S]

As has been pointed out by others, there is not a power source that is going to give you any appreciable amount of range, to include a generator. You are talking about a lot of weight and bulk for very little benefit.

On the other hand, on most cities streets you are maybe just a few blocks from a gas station that would let you use an outlet for a while.

Some advice from somebody who was running Eevees long before they were popular, and still runs EVs in places where most people should not; such as deep in Central America where I am at the moment lol.

I'd love to think the world is so generous - have you ever dealt with a gas station in a big city (I'm talking NY, Philly) and think someone is going to let you plug your car into their 110 for an hour? Not realistic - maybe my idea is not realistic either - but I guarantee if EVs are to survive in urban settings, something's gotta give. I have an R1S and two Model 3's - one of which I just gave to my son who lives in Brooklyn - and there is not a single Tesla Supercharger anywhere near him where he wouldn't first have to pull in and pay for parking. So a mobile charger he could wheel to his car and plug in just to get a little extra juice when the car has been sitting for a week or two (minus alternate side of the street parking moves) - many/most brownstones have no driveways, you can't get parking in front of your house to run an extension - most times you can't get parking on the same street - the EV makers have to be working on ideas to enable city-dwellers to embrace the tech. And who needs EVs more than the polluted cities?

 

[shamoo]

The fact is, the infrastructure isn't there yet, and it won't be for a while.

EVs are 90%+ efficient so any little thing is going to affect it noticeably. ICE vehicles are what...25% efficient? Some cold weather is going to hurt your range a bit, but it won't be as noticeable. Plus you can just drive to a gas station.

You are obviously an experienced EV owner, and as such you will have to make certain accommodations. Planning to park in NYC in frigid temperatures for a few days during a snow storm? Well make sure you're charged up any way you can. Going for a trip to the mountains in 0 degree weather? Charge more often and maybe bring some extra food/water/blankets if you're going to an area that's an charging dead zone.

Your EV should never really be that low a state of charge. It is risky and it generally isn't good for battery health. And as everyone has seen, it'll take time for the battery to even warm up to accept a good rate of charge (so your 110V plug may make you LOSE power before it gains).

Is carrying around an extra $5-10K battery pack in your vehicle the best thing to do? Maybe for you it is. Maybe it isn't. But you have limited choices. I can tell you if you're willing to pay $10K for some peace of mind, you can pay me $8K and call me every time you're in a jam and I'll pick up your car, fly it to my warm garage to charge, and then fly it back out to you.

 

[GuyR1S]

The fact is, the infrastructure isn't there yet, and it won't be for a while.

EVs are 90%+ efficient so any little thing is going to affect it noticeably. ICE vehicles are what...25% efficient? Some cold weather is going to hurt your range a bit, but it won't be as noticeable. Plus you can just drive to a gas station.

You are obviously an experienced EV owner, and as such you will have to make certain accommodations. Planning to park in NYC in frigid temperatures for a few days during a snow storm? Well make sure you're charged up any way you can. Going for a trip to the mountains in 0 degree weather? Charge more often and maybe bring some extra food/water/blankets if you're going to an area that's an charging dead zone.

Your EV should never really be that low a state of charge. It is risky and it generally isn't good for battery health. And as everyone has seen, it'll take time for the battery to even warm up to accept a good rate of charge (so your 110V plug may make you LOSE power before it gains).

Is carrying around an extra $5-10K battery pack in your vehicle the best thing to do? Maybe for you it is. Maybe it isn't. But you have limited choices. I can tell you if you're willing to pay $10K for some peace of mind, you can pay me $8K and call me every time you're in a jam and I'll pick up your car, fly it to my warm garage to charge, and then fly it back out to you.

Yea, I know the cost of the charger is an issue - and the amount of good it'll do you doesn't seem to make a strong case for such outlay - but I'm lamenting the dearth of options out there and assume it will get better - hopefully quickly. The situations of needing a charge in the city after being parked is more about leaving it alone for an extended period where the rate of discharge may accelerate - look at all the recent horror stories of people being towed from charging stations because the chargers would work in such low temps - cars went dead while waiting on line to charge. The naysayers are jumping all over the negative stories - not what we need to move forward with the technology. Well, I'm seeing some real world issues with city living that I hope get addressed quickly. I told him to sell it - but he said he thinks, even with paying for an hour's worth of parking in order to supercharge - that he'll still come out better in the end. We'll see how long his optimism lasts.

 

[JamuJoe]

I'd gladly carry a portable battery charger (not a gas generator - I'm not into irony) but don't seem to see anything out there specifically designed for this purpose. Anyone know of a solution out there that that might be able to supply an emergency charge to get at least a few miles of range that could be kept charged and carried in the back of an R1S (even better it it could fit in the frunk)?

 

[JamuJoe]

I'd gladly carry a portable battery charger (not a gas generator - I'm not into irony) but don't seem to see anything out there specifically designed for this purpose. Anyone know of a solution out there that that might be able to supply an emergency charge to get at least a few miles of range that could be kept charged and carried in the back of an R1S (even better it it could fit in the frunk)?

I carry an Ecoflow Delta Max with two extra Smart batteries in my gear tunnel. This is the same setup that I carry in my RAM 2500 to provide supplemental power to my travel trailer or when truck camping. It COULD charge The R1T, adding 6kWh (less losses) at 2400W. I tried it with my Polestar 2 and added about 10 mi of range. I also carry 3 x 160W Ecoflow portable solar panels, again for camping use, which charge the Delta Max. So, what you seek is possible, but expensive and not very efficient if solely for charging an EV. Ecoflow now makes bigger and better power stations with 240v output and EV charger input.

 

[GuyR1S]

Yeah, I guess my thinking was more in the $1k max range - $6k a little too much. Now if a group of neighbors were to buy one and pool it, that'd be a thought...

 

[shamoo]

Yea, I know the cost of the charger is an issue - and the amount of good it'll do you doesn't seem to make a strong case for such outlay - but I'm lamenting the dearth of options out there and assume it will get better - hopefully quickly. The situations of needing a charge in the city after being parked is more about leaving it alone for an extended period where the rate of discharge may accelerate - look at all the recent horror stories of people being towed from charging stations because the chargers would work in such low temps - cars went dead while waiting on line to charge. The naysayers are jumping all over the negative stories - not what we need to move forward with the technology. Well, I'm seeing some real world issues with city living that I hope get addressed quickly. I told him to sell it - but he said he thinks, even with paying for an hour's worth of parking in order to supercharge - that he'll still come out better in the end. We'll see how long his optimism lasts.

I understand, but if you took a close look at most of the "horror stories", many of them were due to folks not educated enough about EVs/charging (e.g.: leaving the car to charge to 100% in -15 degree temps).

If temps are frigid, you should plan better. Not trying to victim blame, but it is just a fact with EVs now. Most EV owners are just average people, not an automotive enthusiast who spends free time researching how battery technology works.

 

[GuyR1S]

I carry an Ecoflow Delta Max with two extra Smart batteries in my gear tunnel. This is the same setup that I carry in my RAM 2500 to provide supplemental power to my travel trailer or when truck camping. It COULD charge The R1T, adding 6kWh (less losses) at 2400W. I tried it with my Polestar 2 and added about 10 mi of range. I also carry 3 x 160W Ecoflow portable solar panels, again for camping use, which charge the Delta Max. So, what you seek is possible, but expensive and not very efficient if solely for charging an EV. Ecoflow now makes bigger and better power stations with 240v output and EV charger input.

I’ve emailed ecoflow - will post their answer if anything noteworthy.

 

[Milermore]

I'm waiting for a suitcase-size SMR.

 

[BCondrey]

https://evunited.com/mobile/portable-ev-charging-sparkcharge

$17K for 15 miles? No thanks I will take my chances.

 

[VSG]

I'm waiting for a suitcase-size SMR.

Well if we can make a man-portable tactical nuclear weapon, we can certainly make a reactor that will fit in a pickup truck ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

 

[DeanB1452]

I carry an Ecoflow Delta Max with two extra Smart batteries in my gear tunnel. This is the same setup that I carry in my RAM 2500 to provide supplemental power to my travel trailer or when truck camping. It COULD charge The R1T, adding 6kWh (less losses) at 2400W. I tried it with my Polestar 2 and added about 10 mi of range. I also carry 3 x 160W Ecoflow portable solar panels, again for camping use, which charge the Delta Max. So, what you seek is possible, but expensive and not very efficient if solely for charging an EV. Ecoflow now makes bigger and better power stations with 240v output and EV charger input.

I was just at Mountain View, CA Costco and they have EcoFlow Delta Pro for $2350. 3.6kWh of power and it includes the J1772 adapter to plug in at any home or waypoint charger. Normal price for the the Delta Pro is $3700 and doesn't include the adapter. Even in the best range scenario of 2.5 miles/kWh, this unit will only add 9 miles. There are additional 3.6kWh pack that you can get. If you really want it, then search Costco's website here: https://www.costco.com/ecoflow-schedule.html

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