Gas for emergency?

[KyloRen]

One of my friends told me that he keeps a small/portable Honda generator (with tank of gas) in the car, in case the car runs out of juice completely. That maybe his paranoia, not lack of planning. I found the idea interesting as this gives an option to charge the car in such cases, just to get to the nearest charging station as needed.. your thoughts?
whats the downside in this?

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[Okuma]

One of my friends told me that he keeps a small/portable Honda generator (with tank of gas) in the car, in case the car runs out of juice completely. That maybe his paranoia, not lack of planning. I found the idea interesting as this gives an option to charge the car in such cases, just to get to the nearest charging station as needed.. your thoughts?
whats the downside in this?

I think storing gas in your car would be a major downside! Fuel needs to maintain a safe pressure and the fuel vapor would be terrible. Generally, unsafe.

 

[SnBGC]

If I was going to do something like that......it would be a 240V gen set.
And I would remove the tub in the front compartment and bolt it down into place.
If I ever decide to take the MME to the northern edge of Alaska then doing something like that might be a nice insurance plan.

 

[theothersawyer]

The added weight would also decrease efficiency.

 

[kltye]

The time needed to maintain the generator, make sure the fuel doesn't go bad (and is stored correctly), and the financial outlay required just seems... inefficient? Take all of that time and money wasted, and just plan your routes better?

If he's really worried about one of those "stuck-in-traffic-forever" scenarios in the winter, I'd rather stash a small e-scooter in the car for the same money. That way you can get out and get help, supplies, etc. No worries about gas going bad and/or killing you.

In other words, I think his idea is really stupid.

 

[dmastro]

I think generators need to be able to provide a minimum number of kW to be able to charge an EV battery. I'm not experienced with generators, but I have the impression that a generator powerful enough to charge an EV wouldn't be very portable. Anyone know?

 

[KyloRen]

If I was going to do something like that......it would be a 240V gen set.
And I would remove the tub in the front compartment and bolt it down into place.
If I ever decide to take the MME to the northern edge of Alaska then doing something like that might be a nice insurance plan.

He said this is common in MI, WI and also in North East? I am from California..so not sure I will ever do this ;-)

 

[AKgrampy]

Thinking ahead sounds way more reasonable! Very little charging thru a 120v gen set. Better option would just make sure you have a mobile charger. If driving longer distances it just makes sense to have a charging plan in mind before traveling. That being said you still see ICE vehicles running out of gas so I imagine you will have EV drivers pushing their limits!

 

[KyloRen]

I think generators need to be able to provide a minimum number of kW to be able to charge an EV battery. I'm not experienced with generators, but I have the impression that a generator powerful enough to charge an EV wouldn't be very portable. Anyone know?

After he said that, I looked up online.. there seem to be many generator options that are portable to do this. You can find many articles on this topic.

 

[Maquis]

He’s not ready for BEV ownership. Should have simply went with PHEV.

 

[KyloRen]

He’s not ready for BEV ownership. Should have simply went with PHEV.

Indeed, He just transitioned from PHEV to BEV.

 

[notaek]

Wack.

 

[kdonnel]

There is range anxiety and then there's your friends range anxiety. Your friend has taken it to a new level of paranoia.

 

[generaltso]

Indeed, He just transitioned from PHEV to BEV.

Sounds like he actually didn't.

 

[KlueBat]

This is an interesting idea, but wholly impractical.

Most portable generators are 120V only, so that means that, at best, you can can get 3 or 4 miles of range per hour of charging. So it would only be useful in very limited circumstances. You'd be better off just calling a tow truck when needed rather than keeping volatile liquids in your car unnecessarily.

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