Range Extender

[cvollers]

The bed is twenty square feet. How about a solar bed cover (tonneau) for boosting the battery when the truck is parked in the sun.

I live in a place called "The Valley of the Sun", so there's that to consider.

Or if you are going SUV, get the roof rack and mount solar panels up there. Either way, space constraints will limit charge wattage…possibly better used to top off a small capacity portable power station than the Slate battery.

 

[zipn]

Just adding a portable generator will probably NOT work, or at best, won't work very well at all.

I doubt the vehicle will even let you charge it while driving. In addition, you'll probably want at least 11KW to covert to 220ac, and then the car's internal charger will convert it back to DC to charge the battery. That's a lot of waste. and a rather large generator too.

I built in, factory designed range extender in a proper EREV will have a gas engine / generator OPTIMIZED for the most efficient RPM with the generator providing a DC charge, not a AC to DC conversion. The switchover from low battery to range extender (+ remaining battery) would be computer controlled and seamless. The built-in range extender system (gas engine / generator / fuel system / exhaust system ) would be designed to meet emission and crash standards. Just putting a residential backup generator and some cans of gas in the bed of the truck is a mistake.

 

[JeffVA]

 

[Adam W]

I was looking at the way Scout is implementing their Harvester range extender, and it seems like a marketing shell game. The big headline advertisement reads "350 miles BEV, or up to 500 with the EREV." But in reality, they're HALVING the battery capacity to fit the engine and fuel tank, so the EREV models only get 150 on battery and 350 on the gas engine. At that point, you'd be better off going all ICE.

If that same ratio were applied to the Slate, we'd get a 50 mile battery with a RE addition.

 

[zipn]

I disagree. The ev range is probably more than enough for most people’s local daily needs. The ice range extender allows a single vehicle to be practical as a commuter AND a long distance cruiser. I wish my mav was an erev. The slate + mav = an erev scout. Scout cost about the same but now will have 2 vehicles to insure . Most of the country just doesn’t have the charging stations needed for practical long distance trips with a modest ev.

 

[metroshot]

I disagree. The ev range is probably more than enough for most people’s local daily needs. The ice range extender allows a single vehicle to be practical as a commuter AND a long distance cruiser. I wish my mav was an erev. The slate + mav = an erev scout. Scout cost about the same but now will have 2 vehicles to insure . Most of the country just doesn’t have the charging stations needed for practical long distance trips with a modest ev.

Yes, people who have not owned an EV have range anxiety.

When I had a BEV, I was worried about the range.

My wife still has that and always says I should always charge to 100% every single time.

After 7 years of EV, I have learned to relax and practice ABC (always be charging)......

Now, I can get around with less range than I originally thought I would need.

 

[johanssont]

If you want an EREV, look at the Scout.

If you want just a simple small truck for local commutes then the Slate will do the job.

I have the Ford Mach E and its 70kWh battery is more than enough for daily commuting plus road trips.

I have a reservation on the Scout as well to transition from the Mach E; but now I am looking at the SUV version of the Slate for a lot less $$$.

Huge part of the design of this is customization so people can make whatever they want. Slamming a mini truck so it is a half inch off the ground isn't practical or a smart way to spend money but it isn't my truck or money. Let people do what they want with the slate. They will not force you to strap a propane tank bomb on top of a giant battery so let them have fun with their imagination. These are the dreamers that drive innovation.

 

[sodamo]

I plan on building a generic range extender to sit in the back. I've got an odd commute that usually involved around about 165 miles each way, but the car typically sits for 3-4 days before I come home. I plan on using some typical home storage LFP batteries, a small inverter and a small charger, to allow the thing to charge while it sits in the parking lot. And I can charge my portable charger up for free at home on my solar.

Would be interested to see more details.

 

[MiketheCarGeek]

IMO Range Extenders (EREV) makes sense for larger EVs (3-Row SUVs and Full-Size Pickups).

Battery EVs makes sense for Mid/Compact and smaller vehicles given current battery technology. Opt for the Long Range Battery in Slate and you’ll be fine for 98% of driving situations.

 

[metroshot]

IMO Range Extenders (EREV) makes sense for larger EVs (3-Row SUVs and Full-Size Pickups).

Battery EVs makes sense for Mid/Compact and smaller vehicles given current battery technology. Opt for the Long Range Battery in Slate and you’ll be fine for 98% of driving situations.

Agree!

Scout's EREV is a game changer and I still have a reservation.

Slate's BEV is a head turner for the industry as the price point and basics are probably going to shift sales from other brands.

If I get a Slate, I'd opt for the larger battery pack, mainly because I LOVE my 70kWh battery in my current EV.

 

[EverythingSlate]

My BIL has a machE, his battery life dropped from a projected 30% to 10% unexpectedly on a 3hr trip. Situations like that is why I’d opt for the extended range. He’s owned it a couple years, and that seemed to really bother him. I think he lost his confidence in the capacity monitoring and I don’t blame him.

 

[brian10x]

The next gen Rouge is supposed to be an erev. Made n USA too

noun

1. a red powder or cream used as a cosmetic for coloring the cheeks or lips.

verb

1. color with rouge.
   "the makeup artist rouged my cheeks"

 

[zipn]

IMO Range Extenders (EREV) makes sense for larger EVs (3-Row SUVs and Full-Size Pickups).

Battery EVs makes sense for Mid/Compact and smaller vehicles given current battery technology. Opt for the Long Range Battery in Slate and you’ll be fine for 98% of driving situations.

I think EREVS of all sizes and shapes makes the most sense for single-vehicle households. As long as you can plug them in a night (even at 120v) you're likely to get enough charge to handle your daily commute - and WHEN you need to go with more range - just let the generator handle the load.

Having an EV and an ICE/Hybrid works for 2-vehicle families, but unless you NEED 2 cars, a single erev will be much less (1 payment / 1 insurance).

Not a fan of plug-in hybrids as they have crappy electric-only range, crappy power (only get ALL the hp/torque when both the electric motor and ICE are both running), and are complicated setups.

An eREV is simpler (only electric drive) and always have the full spec'd hp/torque on tap regardless of battery charge or generator operation.

My me, an EREV Maverick would be the perfect vehicle in size and functionality . The upcoming EREV SCOUT is little more capable than i need or want, but it's also on the radar. I would want any EREV to have at least 75 and ideally 100+ mile all battery range and enough of a generator/gas tank to go 500 miles between fillups.

 

[sodamo]

TBH, I know even less about eREV than EV. How do costs pencil out as to running the generator?

 

[metroshot]

TBH, I know even less about eREV than EV. How do costs pencil out as to running the generator?

EREVs as @zipn pointed out are excellent for larger vehicles that run primarily on EV and then use the gas generator to recharge / extend range as needed.

Depending on your driving needs and the cost of fuel vs electricity will be your best guide for an EV vs EREV.

Where I live in So Calif, the cost of electricity and fuel are the highest in all of the US (maybe NYC is higher ?).

With my EV, I charge at Tesla Superchargers at half price ($0.30 / kWh) of my electricity rates ($0.61 / kWH) charging at home. Using Tesla SC I get the added bonus of getting 5% back on my Tesla Supercharger bill at the end of the month.

Home electricity rates are around $0.61/kWh plus I pay for transmission and delivery costs per kWh so it's actually more than that.

OTOH your area might have lower fuel (half price ?) and/or lower electricity costs so that will determine your total costs to drive an EREV vs EV vs ICE.

BTW I have been using Costco Citi VISA for a long time charging at public chargers with 4% back but recently changed to Discover to capture 5% back: