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You know what would be even cooler...
A KC46 Pegasus tanker with hard points on the wings and a weapons bay in the belly!
Calls self technicalninja.
Doesn't understand that aircraft have weight limits.
(Or that military aircraft have specific missions.)
And posts in the Pictures thread with no picture.
They're actually building those, BTW. It's an operational weapon. High-Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapons Capability (HAAWWC). It's a strap-on conversion kit, kind of like the JDAM is for "dumb" bombs, which gives the Mk 54 (a relatively small and lightweight torpedo) GPS guidance and a 50 mile operational range when released from the Boeing P-8A Poseidon. At the terminal phase, a parachute is deployed to lower the torpedo gently into the water, at which point the flight package pops off and the torpedo begins conventional operation. The launching aircraft can deliver target updates to the torpedo via radio right up until it enters the water.
I am genuinely surprised that no mainstream EV manufacturer has produced that exact device.
A tiny, streamlined trailer containing a fuel tank and a tiny, efficient motor-generator. Along with a harness which attaches it to the host vehicle in such a way that it becomes fully integrated with the powertrain control system.
This would allow automakers to build cheaper, lighter EVs (less battery capacity) which suffice for 95% of ordinary use, and yet completely overcome the range anxiety problem associated with the occasional long trip.
I'd bet that the cost-savings from the smaller battery would cover the cost of the trailer.
Back when I was dreaming of doing an electric-conversion to a Miata, oh about 15 years ago, I had this idea.
AC Propulsion did this with the TZero, but that car never really saw the light of day. (It was not, in the grand scheme of things, very good at being a car.)
Aptera kind of hinted that maybe they were going to do this, but now they seems to be focusing on a solar-only design, thus ensuring that they're never going to actually produce a sellable car.
A few people have DIY'ed them on their own custom-conversion vehicles.
And there are a few startups claiming to be working on them. Though as most EV's won't run when they're charging, this is inherently going to involve a lot of warranty-voiding modification.
But not Ford. Or BMW. Or... anybody in the OEM market. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if a tiny little turbodiesel running at constant speed could return 100 MPG in highway cruise.
Nothing is going to match an OEM product, which with a single umbilical to a dedicated port on the back of the car seamlessly gives the car total control over (and monitoring of) the generator, and of course also connects to the camera, the lighting, and the electrically-operated steering to make reversing an intuitive operation for people who have never towed a trailer before.
Is there some law or regulation, in any country, which prohibits automakers from doing this?
Is there some law or regulation, in any country, which prohibits automakers from doing this?
Random speculation here, but would that convert it from being a "zero emissions" BEV to being a PHEV? If so that's going to involve a lot more regulatory stuff.
Random speculation here, but would that convert it from being a "zero emissions" BEV to being a PHEV? If so that's going to involve a lot more regulatory stuff.
I like to think it'd be a BEV with an enhanced mobile charging interface.
Two separate transactions, two separate vehicles.
Maybe every dealership leases space on their lot to an independent business which sells enhanced mobile chargers.
Hell, maybe the automakers even agree on a unified standard for enhanced mobile charging interfaces, which specifies both the electrical and mechanical hookups. Make docking the trailer a completely automatic process, by having the vehicle intelligently reverse itself into the trailer and capture it with a motorized coupler.
Originally Posted by good2go
(Chevy Volt)
That's fair.
I try to consider both my own use-case, and that of Sally Sixpack.
If I were to buy a BEV, it'd be something like a Smart. Tiny capacity. My daily commute is four miles round-trip (four and a half, if I stop for groceries), and even on downtown days, maybe 12 miles total. And I understand that rental cars (and airplanes) exist for when I need to travel long distances. Hell, I rent a car when I need to drive a few hundred miles, as the Miata isn't great at that. Granted, I now also own the Juke, so that may change.
What I would find interesting is a hybrid with a natural gas turbine generator using waste heat to run an auxiliary steam/vapor turbine to increase efficiency. Batteries to allow greater output when necessary and the generator could run at peak efficiency. Should have greater range than straight electric, quicker 'fill-ups' for OTR travel, and very low emissions.
Electricity still has to be generated somewhere, why not on the vehicle?
I am genuinely surprised that no mainstream EV manufacturer has produced that exact device.
... Or BMW.
Is there some law or regulation, in any country, which prohibits automakers from doing this?
The BMW i3 and the Chevy Volt are the EXACT car you describe. I have a Volt for a daily, and i describe it as "The car everyone needs and no one wants." I charge from a basic 120 outlet and have to buy gas once or twice a year (all 8 gallons) outside of long road trips or if I'm towing the trailer. Yes I have a 5x8 trailer to convert the car to a light truck.
Under California zero-emission vehicle rules, the BMW i3 REx qualifies as a "BEVx," or a battery-electric vehicle that happens to have a range-extending engine.
That earns it gold credits under the state's ZEV regulations, but it is required to exhaust essentially all of its battery capacity before the range-extending engine switches on.
That takes battery capacity well below 10 percent, meaning there's simply not enough buffer remaining if transient power demand from a combination of speed, elevation, passenger load, cold temperatures, and accessory use exceeds the maximum output of the engine-driven generator.
The only comparable car, the Chevrolet Volt, has a much more powerful range-extending engine.
One of the key design criteria for the Volt, in fact, was that performance had to be identical whether the car was running entirely on its battery or with the engine switched on once the battery had depleted.
Basically, the volts' powertrain design basis was set from the start to avoid this issue and take advantage of the law. I do not think this is an issue in the EU as the i3 range extender can be turned on manually. I looked into an i3 as well and there is a way to unlock this feature in the US, but probably like all ecu tunes voids the warranty. With a ~$10k battery pack at least, no thanks. So I got a Volt. Volt has more *** and will tow better too.
Originally Posted by good2go
Well, in fact, GM already did, albeit with a nicer packaging arrangement.
Worked too well though, so of course they had to kill it off.
08-31-2022, 03:56 PM
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