Rear-mounted J1772 port (and range-extending trailer option)

[Deleted member 770]

In order for the Leaf to appeal to the mainstream market, the issue of Range Anxiety (tm of GM) DOES need to be addressed. I think the best short-term option would be to put a J1772 port on the BACK of the Leaf (as an option, part of a "trailer" package that includes a tow hitch tunnel).

Then Nissan should market a small, efficient, aerodynamic range extender trailer. It could basically consist of a small gasoline or diesel engine, a gas tank, a generator and the necessary electronics to integrate it into the J1772 charging system. It's been calculated by others that as little as 30-50 HP is necessary to maintain the Leaf's speed at freeway speeds. so something about the size of a 750cc motorcycle engine should do nicely.

Then the ultimate marketing coup would then be for Nissan's dealers to offer cheap rentals of these units to Leaf owners. Want to take a 2 week vacation? Rent the trailer for $100.00 a week and you're on your way. Need to drive 250 miles for a business meeting? Just reserve a trailer for a day for $25.00. We'd have all of the benefits of an EV for the rest of the year without having to lug around the ICE range-extending gear for the few times a year when it would be necessary/nice.

 

[indyflick]

You can't charge the vehicle while it's moving. In fact there's a cut off that when the J1772 is connected the car won't move. It's a safety feature.

 

[ruimegas]

interesting idea but I prefer to rather wait for 2014/2015 and sell and replace my old Leaf battery by the brand new 200 miles autonomy battery.

 

[Deleted member 770]

You can't charge the vehicle while it's moving. In fact there's a cut off that when the J1772 is connected the car won't move. It's a safety feature.

'tis a shame, but the next-best thing would be to use a proprietary charging circuit/connector to connect the trailer to the Leaf. It would limit some versatility (charging while backed into a parking space), but still allow a range-extender.

 

[Skywagon]

People are losing the sight of what an electric car is for (especially GM with the Volt). Yes, it can be your primary vehicle as most people commute well within the Leaf's range. If you need to go an extended distance then you either use the other family vehicle or you rent a car for that purpose. Why would you want to maintain (and keep active to avoid issues) a generator system for that rare opportunity where you need to go further? Just take a gasoline powered car.

I have known people that used a pure electric as their only vehicle for many years (an EV1 driver here in Phx drove a total of 2 cars for over 8 years as his only car). If they needed to go further or take a road trip they would just rent a car. Part of the savings of an electric vehicle is not having to maintain a gasoline engine; why would you want to add that complication and cost back?

 

[EVDRIVER]

People are losing the sight of what an electric car is for (especially GM with the Volt). Yes, it can be your primary vehicle as most people commute well within the Leaf's range. If you need to go an extended distance then you either use the other family vehicle or you rent a car for that purpose. Why would you want to maintain (and keep active to avoid issues) a generator system for that rare opportunity where you need to go further? Just take a gasoline powered car.

I have known people that used a pure electric as their only vehicle for many years (an EV1 driver here in Phx drove a total of 2 cars for over 8 years as his only car). If they needed to go further or take a road trip they would just rent a car. Part of the savings of an electric vehicle is not having to maintain a gasoline engine; why would you want to add that complication and cost back?

Trailers are not the solution. The solution is a lower weight, higher energy density and more aero vehicle. Please tell me we are not going to discuss range extenders for the Leaf.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

I wanted to bungee cord an EU-2000 to the back bumper. It wouldn't extend the range indefinitely but would probably give you a sizeable boost.

 

[DarkStar]

I would spend $5-6,000 on one of these, and I don't even need the fancy steering system:

http://www.evnut.com/rav_longranger.htm

Plug into the Leaf for distance trips. Use at home in power outages (it is a generator after all).

 

[smkettner]

I would be better with an optional larger battery. Maybe even portable that goes in the lower trunk space.
The dealer could even rent the added battery for special trips.

 

[Deleted member 770]

I would spend $5-6,000 on one of these, and I don't even need the fancy steering system:

http://www.evnut.com/rav_longranger.htm

Plug into the Leaf for distance trips. Use at home in power outages (it is a generator after all).

Exactly what I was describing! Yes, a more aero vehicle with a bigger battery is a laudable goal, and will probably be reachable in 5-10 years. But the fundamental issue is how to get the required number of KW into a battery in a short time (comparable to filling up a gas tank...5-10 minutes) without major electrocution risks. It'd be even better if we could develop an electric motor which was twice as efficient as today's best. But again, it's a hard problem.

This is a way to get EVs into the hands of more people sooner. Isn't the real goal to wean us from petroleum ASAP? This is the most logical near-term solution, IMHO. Your mileage may vary...

 

[indyflick]

I would spend $5-6,000 on one of these, and I don't even need the fancy steering system:

http://www.evnut.com/rav_longranger.htm

Plug into the Leaf for distance trips. Use at home in power outages (it is a generator after all).

I think you could do it for about $4K. Go with a simple single wheel trailer and an air-cooled 20kW genset. Runs on NG or LP. You can get LP at most U-Haul locations. I like the air-cooled design over the water-cooled motorcycle engine design because there's less maintenance.

 

[evnow]

Plug into the Leaf for distance trips. Use at home in power outages (it is a generator after all).

I think you could do it for about $4K. Go with a simple single wheel trailer and an air-cooled 20kW genset. Runs on NG or LP. You can get LP at most U-Haul locations. I like the air-cooled design over the water-cooled motorcycle engine design because there's less maintenance.[/quote]

Nice. The problem ofcourse is - Leaf won't charge while on the go (or the otherway round).

 

[indyflick]

Nice. The problem ofcourse is - Leaf won't charge while on the go (or the otherway round).

Right, that's what I said in the second post. But I suppose you could drive, stop, charge, and repeat for grins.

 

[DarkStar]

Nice. The problem ofcourse is - Leaf won't charge while on the go (or the otherway round).

Why not? The generator connects directly to the battery output, not through the charge controller.

 

[Dav]

evnow, check the link for the Long Ranger at Darell's website.

The trailer/generator does not go into the "charger input" connection, it feeds directly into the "regen" circuit. That can be used while driving and has a high enough limit to allow for faster then 3.3 charging.

 

[palmermd]

I think you could do it for about $4K. Go with a simple single wheel trailer and an air-cooled 20kW genset. Runs on NG or LP. You can get LP at most U-Haul locations. I like the air-cooled design over the water-cooled motorcycle engine design because there's less maintenance.

Your link takes you to a $1400 trailer, and then a $3800 generator, and you are still missing the $3500+ charger required to connect to the car along with all the cabling and connection parts, and you somehow call that a $4000 project? I'd say your looking at closer to $10,000.

 

[evnow]

The trailer/generator does not go into the "charger input" connection, it feeds directly into the "regen" circuit. That can be used while driving and has a high enough limit to allow for faster then 3.3 charging.

I wasn't thinking of anything so invasive. These kinds of changes would definitely invalidate warranty (or rather, can be used as a reason for not covering any problems under warranty).

 

[Dav]

But the idea is to have Nissan provide the connections. No worries about voiding warranty, nothing invasive.

 

[evnow]

But the idea is to have Nissan provide the connections. No worries about voiding warranty, nothing invasive.

Ofcourse, if they provide the connections , they can very easily defeat the "don't move while charging" as well.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Or- one could leave the car stock and not try to make it into an experiment that has been played out on every EV forum over the years. If you want extended driving buy a hybrid or volt.