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Agree. They just didn't build it solely around one big battery without any ICE engine. Look, if you live in an apartment it most likely is impossible to charge

by ianai 6y ago

Agree. They just didn't build it solely around one big battery without any ICE engine. Look, if you live in an apartment it most likely is impossible to charge and own an EV. That’s a huge market segment to not address. They can all comfortably buy hybrids though.

chrisseaton 6y ago
I don't get why range extenders aren't more popular. A little motorbike-size engine that you can fuel from any petrol station on the planet that can charge the battery overnight, not connected to the drive train and running at optimal RPM for the alternator.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  Because electricity is ubiquitous. It’s literally everywhere. Some states have mandated apartment complexes accompanied EV owners, and with the Biden administration, I expect federal standards in short order. It’s a policy problem, not a technology problem. Tesla has deployed an enormous fast charging network on their own dime, so it’s reasonable more can be done faster with government support (including mandating and funding EV chargers for apartment dwellers). No one wants to charge their EV from a Honda generator at their apartment complex. If you’re a Tesla owner in an apartment with no apartment parking EV charger access, you pop over to a Supercharger once a week (which, while suboptimal, is equivalent to gas stations until EV chargers are more widely available).
  - chrisseaton 6y ago
    Is that an idealistic statement, or a practical one? Yes an electricity supply is available everywhere most people would want. Practical charging facilities, however, are not. I frequently find myself in situations where I can get petrol very easily but cannot practically plug in anywhere. With a range extender I could run a very efficient little engine and reduce my emissions today.
    - toomuchtodo 6y ago
      My statements are pragmatic, based on the uptake of Tesla EVs in the marketplace versus consumers who want to drag a generator around with them to charge.
      - chrisseaton 6y ago
        I quite often drive beyond the range of an EV, to a place where there are no chargers at all. If I could just have a little range extender motor that I could put petrol in and use to charge overnight, I could fully commit to EVs right now forever. But I can't yet. That little bit of pragmatism would make it all work. It'd even fit in the front cargo space of a Tesla!
        toomuchtodo 6y ago
        But you can! Get a portable Honda generator [1] and plug into it with a mobile connector to charge (my Tesla can charge from a 120V 15a circuit, or a 220v dryer outlet). If that doesn’t provide you enough charge, find a surplus generator on a trailer [2] and haul it behind you with a hitch. If it’s a diesel, you can even run it on vegetable oil instead of petroleum. When you’re not going to the boonies, you’re fully electric without dragging a generator with you, and can rely on charging stations. [1] https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators [2] https://www.ebay.com/b/Industrial-Trailer-Mounted-Generators/106437/bn_1519997 https://www.ebay.com/b/Industrial-Trailer-Mounted-Generators...
        chrisseaton 6y ago
        Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but this isn't a reasonably well packaged solution for people to use. What's the security of the generator sitting outside my car all night? It needs to be an integrated solution.
        toomuchtodo 6y ago
        I solved for your use case because it’s niche. People will either get a Prius or a Tesla, not this. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
- ianai 6y ago
  I agree. Those generators should also be optimized for optimal power output for exactly what the batteries need. It’d probably be more efficient than a larger engine in a traditional machine. Mazda is working on a model with a range extender. BMW just took them out of their models, but they’re not quite the same segment.

by ianai 6y ago

chrisseaton 6y ago

I don't get why range extenders aren't more popular. A little motorbike-size engine that you can fuel from any petrol station on the planet that can charge the battery overnight, not connected to the drive train and running at optimal RPM for the alternator.

toomuchtodo 6y ago
Because electricity is ubiquitous. It’s literally everywhere. Some states have mandated apartment complexes accompanied EV owners, and with the Biden administration, I expect federal standards in short order. It’s a policy problem, not a technology problem. Tesla has deployed an enormous fast charging network on their own dime, so it’s reasonable more can be done faster with government support (including mandating and funding EV chargers for apartment dwellers). No one wants to charge their EV from a Honda generator at their apartment complex. If you’re a Tesla owner in an apartment with no apartment parking EV charger access, you pop over to a Supercharger once a week (which, while suboptimal, is equivalent to gas stations until EV chargers are more widely available).
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  Is that an idealistic statement, or a practical one? Yes an electricity supply is available everywhere most people would want. Practical charging facilities, however, are not. I frequently find myself in situations where I can get petrol very easily but cannot practically plug in anywhere. With a range extender I could run a very efficient little engine and reduce my emissions today.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    My statements are pragmatic, based on the uptake of Tesla EVs in the marketplace versus consumers who want to drag a generator around with them to charge.
    - chrisseaton 6y ago
      I quite often drive beyond the range of an EV, to a place where there are no chargers at all. If I could just have a little range extender motor that I could put petrol in and use to charge overnight, I could fully commit to EVs right now forever. But I can't yet. That little bit of pragmatism would make it all work. It'd even fit in the front cargo space of a Tesla!
      - toomuchtodo 6y ago
        But you can! Get a portable Honda generator [1] and plug into it with a mobile connector to charge (my Tesla can charge from a 120V 15a circuit, or a 220v dryer outlet). If that doesn’t provide you enough charge, find a surplus generator on a trailer [2] and haul it behind you with a hitch. If it’s a diesel, you can even run it on vegetable oil instead of petroleum. When you’re not going to the boonies, you’re fully electric without dragging a generator with you, and can rely on charging stations. [1] https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators [2] https://www.ebay.com/b/Industrial-Trailer-Mounted-Generators/106437/bn_1519997 https://www.ebay.com/b/Industrial-Trailer-Mounted-Generators...
        chrisseaton 6y ago
        Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but this isn't a reasonably well packaged solution for people to use. What's the security of the generator sitting outside my car all night? It needs to be an integrated solution.
        toomuchtodo 6y ago
        I solved for your use case because it’s niche. People will either get a Prius or a Tesla, not this. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
ianai 6y ago
I agree. Those generators should also be optimized for optimal power output for exactly what the batteries need. It’d probably be more efficient than a larger engine in a traditional machine. Mazda is working on a model with a range extender. BMW just took them out of their models, but they’re not quite the same segment.