• ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Germany during WWII did something kind of like this. They modified some of their cars to run on wood gas and they would tow a wood stove on a trailer that generated the gas, with an attached hose that would feed it into the engine. A sensible plan when your only source of oil is Romania and all of your horses have been requisitioned by the army for its “blitzkrieg”.

  • TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    This is basically what every EREV is. The generator is just integrated into the car, otherwise it’s essentially the same thing.

    • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      At the same time, I’ve wondered if it would be helpful for EVs on some long-distance road trips to tow/stow a generator for overnight and emergency charging. Charging stations are popping up more and more, but if you’re saddled with an obsolete or under-served charging port type (e.g. Nissan Leaf), having a generator would be valuable insurance.

      • grue@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        I’ve been thinking about getting a Slate truck eventually, and I’m suddenly realizing a generator on a trailer might be good for overlanding, since there aren’t any chargers on remote trails.

      • azertyfun@sh.itjust.works
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        12 hours ago

        Every EV can just hook up with a (mostly) passive adapter to any outlet and get a charge. It won’t be fast (especially if you are cursed with a 110V outlet), but even in the boonies an overnight trickle charge will get you to the nearest fast charger. Just get the relevant adapters for your car.

        This is basically what your generator would do except you want to lug it around instead of leveraging the cables that we pulled within driving distance of everywhere but the most remote trails? The whole point of electricity is its versatility and ubiquity!

        FYI using a wall plug to charge an EV is a perfectly normal thing to do. For a small(ish) commute, regular 220V@10A is way more than enough to get back to full overnight. It won’t give you 500 km of range, but only freaks and truckers drive 500 km every day.

        • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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          9 hours ago

          Mostly right but in the US we have way more dead zones, and we also have 110-120v outlets in most places. There are 220-240v outlets, but mostly only for electric ranges, dryers, and big AC units, and almost never outside a house or hotel. And charging at 120v 20amps does kinda suck. About as much as using this generator would.

  • FaygoRedPop@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    I am totally ignorant and this is baseless, but wouldn’t that charge the battery to go like 300 feet or something?

  • azureskypirate@lemmy.zip
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    4 hours ago

    Refraccionera = repair shop, mexican dialect

    Sign with E in red cancel mark is No Estiocionar = No parking

    Oxxo = Convience store common in Latin america

    Street sign says Avenida Sur = South Avenue

    It’s probably not AI, güey. No mames

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    A couple manufacturers were showing off EREV at the big manufacturer auto show, basically EV with a small gas engine to extend the range. Less motor than a hybrid, but enough to get some pretty ridiculous range out of a single combined charge/tank. Basically what this image is implying.

    Seems like a decent idea for people that use their vehicle for longer distances.

      • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        It’s been a couple months but if I remember right the gas engine worked alongside the battery, it wasn’t possible to direct drive the car with the gas engine. Yes, it could charge the battery.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      10 hours ago

      BMW did it long ago in the i3 with the range extender. Not the best attempt though. They made it tiny, but it still had a heavy battery (though obviously not a very big one, just heavy for a car of this size), so to get the weight down, they used carbon fiber, but it was supposed to be an economy car and now with carbon fiber it was expensive.

      Idea itself is not bad though.

    • reddig33@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      Sounds like a GM Volt (not Bolt) or a BMW i3. Good thing both models were discontinued. Just in time for gas prices to go up again, right on schedule.

      • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        A quick look seems like the EREVs proposed to be available in the US are all trucks and large SUVs. Ford, Jeep, Hyundai, and Genesis among others. That sucks, why do they have to be big cars? Like to have a smaller sedan with great range.

  • Ghostie@lemmy.zip
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    17 hours ago

    I doubt this works but I’m suspending disbelief because this is funny: The EV car battery is charged by the generator. But to get the generator powered, you gotta put gas in it.