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RAM 1500 EV Will Offer a Range Extender Gas Engine, CEO Confirms

8 points by harambae 4y ago

rektide 4y ago
Ford patenting mounting a generator in the bed is a perfect example of how incredibly facetiously bullshit patents are. Generators are well over 100 years old. The idea that we can just go patent where we put this classic tech each time we have some place to put it is insane, beyond redemption. Each niche for an invention does not make the invention anew. Yet thats what this fallen demonic horseshit trap would have us believe, would constrain us all by. It's cursed. Fuck this in extreme. Beyond worthless: insulting & actively damaging. This mis-governance should be purged with prejudice. This is exactly the same sort of nonsense 99% of software patent go by. Re-patenting the same idea but in a new context, again and again. It's unbelievably soulless & fallen, completely beyond comprehension that we'd give these uncountable falsities even a passing nod. I really look forward to smaller, more efficient electricity generating power-plants. Comboing good electric systems with range extenders is a wonderful first order project & the higher order outcomes of good small power plants is an interesting & useful complement. But as usual we seem intent on making the good incredibly fraught & difficult, as much as the law can.
numtel 4y ago
This article is completely missing any stats about how effective such a range extender would be. I came across this page last week about EV charging using a generator: > A typical EV such as the Volkswagen ID.4 has a 75 kWh battery that allows it to drive about 275 miles on a single charge. That works out to around 3.5 miles of range per 1 kWh of charge. Now let’s assume you have a 2.2kW generator that can output 1,800 watts continuously. If you ran the generator for 4 hours, it would produce around 7 kWh of energy. Now, that’s assuming 100% transfer efficiency, etc. So, in 4 hours of driving, it could possibly add maybe 24 miles of range. But things being not 100% efficient, it would be lucky to add perhaps 15 to 20 miles of range to a 250-mile trip. https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-generator-in-back-of-ev-to-charge-it-while-driving-rvt-1052/ https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-generator-in-back-of...
- rektide 4y ago
  A 1.8kWh continous generator is 2.4HP. Presumably the range extender is somewhat bigger than a weed wacker. There's an interesting challenge here to design high-density efficient-ish basically-continuous output powerpacks. Your example might befit the shit-ass terrible world of low grade crappy construction site & on-demand generators, but you are way out of line for what a EV range extender will provide. The BMW i3 is old tech by now, but it's 0.6 liter 2 cylinder outputs 34 HP/25kW, for some baseline here.
mdmglr 4y ago
Will the generator use a reliable engine or something out of the Chrysler… sorry Stellantis.. part bin?
- qbrass 4y ago
  If they end up being junk, Cummins makes generators.

8 points by harambae 4y ago

Ford patenting mounting a generator in the bed is a perfect example of how incredibly facetiously bullshit patents are. Generators are well over 100 years old. The idea that we can just go patent where we put this classic tech each time we have some place to put it is insane, beyond redemption. Each niche for an invention does not make the invention anew. Yet thats what this fallen demonic horseshit trap would have us believe, would constrain us all by. It's cursed. Fuck this in extreme. Beyond worthless: insulting & actively damaging. This mis-governance should be purged with prejudice. This is exactly the same sort of nonsense 99% of software patent go by. Re-patenting the same idea but in a new context, again and again. It's unbelievably soulless & fallen, completely beyond comprehension that we'd give these uncountable falsities even a passing nod. I really look forward to smaller, more efficient electricity generating power-plants. Comboing good electric systems with range extenders is a wonderful first order project & the higher order outcomes of good small power plants is an interesting & useful complement. But as usual we seem intent on making the good incredibly fraught & difficult, as much as the law can.

numtel 4y ago

This article is completely missing any stats about how effective such a range extender would be. I came across this page last week about EV charging using a generator: > A typical EV such as the Volkswagen ID.4 has a 75 kWh battery that allows it to drive about 275 miles on a single charge. That works out to around 3.5 miles of range per 1 kWh of charge. Now let’s assume you have a 2.2kW generator that can output 1,800 watts continuously. If you ran the generator for 4 hours, it would produce around 7 kWh of energy. Now, that’s assuming 100% transfer efficiency, etc. So, in 4 hours of driving, it could possibly add maybe 24 miles of range. But things being not 100% efficient, it would be lucky to add perhaps 15 to 20 miles of range to a 250-mile trip. https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-generator-in-back-of-ev-to-charge-it-while-driving-rvt-1052/ https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-generator-in-back-of...

rektide 4y ago
A 1.8kWh continous generator is 2.4HP. Presumably the range extender is somewhat bigger than a weed wacker. There's an interesting challenge here to design high-density efficient-ish basically-continuous output powerpacks. Your example might befit the shit-ass terrible world of low grade crappy construction site & on-demand generators, but you are way out of line for what a EV range extender will provide. The BMW i3 is old tech by now, but it's 0.6 liter 2 cylinder outputs 34 HP/25kW, for some baseline here.

mdmglr 4y ago

Will the generator use a reliable engine or something out of the Chrysler… sorry Stellantis.. part bin?

qbrass 4y ago
If they end up being junk, Cummins makes generators.