Man.. it could be a super smart move. Say the batts could handle 80 miles hauling air. That gives me a DD I can drive full electric 90% of the time. A highly optimized ICE doing genset duty could handle trips and provide a general break-even point for towing a load, without the penalty of all the extra battery and recharge depth? I’d be all over that idea, tomorrow. Don’t know if I’d personally want that in a Ram, but if it were closer to my brand(s) of choice I’d have a hard time saying no, unless the $ was just stupid. (And it probably would be, and I’ll probably still end up a late adopter).
Ram 1500 EV
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Edison Motors is doing something like that. Their FUNCTIONAL(!!!) proof of concept semi can do pure electric or fire up the 3306 CAT diesel to recharge the batteries and power the motors. Should be relatively easy to scale that down to a little Kubota diesel genset for a pick up
Why not simply make it a plug in hybrid, (with a big battery) with all the benefits of MPG improvements of a hybrid and electric drive?
The "cordless Tesla" was a very interesting experiment. For those who have not looked at this experiment, it was simply a small, high voltage, 10,000 watt generator mounted in back, (about 13.4HP worth of electrical power) that directly provided power to the battery pack. Not enough power to maintain battery charge on the highway, but could run all night and recharge the battery. What's interesting is just how horrible the MPG's were.
I've said it many times, but the stack of losses involved in EV's does not lead to 105mpg-e. It leads 14 mpg. The idea that an engine driving a generator, through a charge controller, charging a battery, discharging a battery, running through a motor controller, driving a motor is somehow efficient, is utter nonsense. Directly driving a wheel with an efficient modern engine is always more efficient. This is why Honda Hybrids DIRECTLY couple the engine to the wheels at highway speeds.
Fast forward to 14:56 for MPG/efficiency numbers.
The "cordless Tesla" was a very interesting experiment. For those who have not looked at this experiment, it was simply a small, high voltage, 10,000 watt generator mounted in back, (about 13.4HP worth of electrical power) that directly provided power to the battery pack. Not enough power to maintain battery charge on the highway, but could run all night and recharge the battery. What's interesting is just how horrible the MPG's were.
I've said it many times, but the stack of losses involved in EV's does not lead to 105mpg-e. It leads 14 mpg. The idea that an engine driving a generator, through a charge controller, charging a battery, discharging a battery, running through a motor controller, driving a motor is somehow efficient, is utter nonsense. Directly driving a wheel with an efficient modern engine is always more efficient. This is why Honda Hybrids DIRECTLY couple the engine to the wheels at highway speeds.
Fast forward to 14:56 for MPG/efficiency numbers.
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We as a species seem to have thrown out the middle ground and have adopted this “ALL OR NOTHING!!!!” approach to… everything.
You are not kidding!
But some form of variation on that theme might be interesting. A "Tow-Master" with the engine doubling as a generator for an RV, etc...
Probably cost. Last week at the SAE’s North American International Propulsion Conference it was presented that once you get past about 50 miles battery range on a PHEV, it becomes more expensive to build a PHEV vs EV.
And “packaging” is an absolute mess with a long-range PHEV. Fit a big battery, plus an engine, transmission, fuel tank, exhaust, etc. Not much space left for people and cargo.
SAE reference:
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If I were buying another hybrid, it would be a Toyota. Experience counts. I think that new Prius will make a lotta owners happy.
Our RX450h gets better mileage than the little TSX. I think...
Our RX450h gets better mileage than the little TSX. I think...
BMW has always claimed that plant is for the M series, the “I” series was pigeon holed in there just as they throw race car parts into that plant.
Because people do that.
This said, I had a PHEV (RAV4 Prime), arguably the best one on the planet in 2021. It sucked. I have now gone full EV and...
-don't have an engine to PM anymore.
-Have way more power.
-Barely added any weight (300#, I think).
-Am saving 200-300% the money on operation ("fuel").
-Have a much better power delivery profile (It's not washing out the front tires all the time)/much better traction.
It's just way better. Sometimes its not "an extreme", it's "getting off the fence".
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And bringing back the Che-Che-Che-vroom-rumpity-rumpity sound of starting a mopar
Yes, but a pickup truck will be asked to tow a 25 foot boat or RV across the country. Elon's EV semi requires nearly 10,000 pounds of battery to make 300 real world highway miles. Keep in mind towing a nice RV requires 70% of the HP of a Semi. An EV pickup consumes 1.4-1.6KWh per mile towing, sometimes as high as 2KWh per mile. By way of comparison, Elon claims 2KWh per mile for the Semi.
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Breaux - That semi will make a fire seen from space
Moses Lake, Washington - September 1, 2011 SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF) – a joint venture of SGL Group and the BMW Group – today officially opened its new state-of-the-art carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, WA. The new facility is strategic for the manufacture of ultra light-weight carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) for use in the new BMW i vehicles.
That's the official BMW press release regarding the opening of the Moses Lake plant back in 2011. You can read the whole press release which makes no mention of the M series.
How the New 2016 BMW 7 Series Lost Weight - The Fast Lane Car
How the redesigned 2016 BMW 7 Series shed almost 300 pounds of weight is explained.
tflcar.com
I agree, but it appears not many people care as they continue to push the technology, which is still no where near being ready for prime time imo.
I’m with you and what’s more disturbing is the grid to support this EV fantasy isn’t even close to being able to support it. Last summer California bans ICE by 2030 then a week later they’re telling people not to charge their EV’s because of strain in the grid.
Our lawmakers are living in a fantasy land. Now they want climate reparations?! I’m all done with these clowns. They’re going to make EV technology so expensive that half the middle class won’t be able to afford them. If you follow the WEF, they want to eliminate private vehicle ownership and that’s where we are headed.
I agree with you 100%. My brother recently retired from Con-Ed, even the big wigs would laugh and say the grid in NY is at least 20-30 years away from supporting the green new pipe dream. It's no so green when you think about all the juice it takes to charge up a big rig that's going to haul freight a thousand miles or more. Come to think of it even a hundred or so miles is a stretch with the current grid.
