100 kw towable trailer.

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mortisier

Active member
Joined
Jan 11, 2013
Messages
31
Location
port hadlock Wa
As a traveler of I-90 from Seattle to Minnesota I have noticed a nissan dealer every 250 to 300 miles along the way. While out of the range of the Leaf using level 3 charging, I would happily rent a towable 100 kw lithium battery pack that could be exchanged from one dealership to the next. A single pivoting wheel combined with a ridged bar style plug in power hitch would prevent any jack knifing or cable damage. These units could resemble the leaf's styling. Having a few at each dealer ship would allow for healthy slow recharging times and would require pick up drop off times simular to typical ICE refuling. When a road tripper reaches there destination they would simply drop off the trailer and resume regular Leaf 73 mile operation until the return trip.
 
Well, that's a 2000 pound trailer, so you won't be getting 73 EPA miles down the freeway. It's also $30,000 in batteries, and I'm sure you need the rental cost to be cheaper than Just-Drive-The-Prius(TM).

Good luck.

Tesla has their Model S which can do that, and will have a supercharger network for "free" charging.
 
The Tesla s,s 85kw batery pack only weighs 789.25 pounds. The cost for nissan to build/purchase would easily be amortized over each batteries life particularily after the hords of people begin buying these cars ( range is the greatest precieved flaw of the Leaf) The leaf is a great freeway car, comfortable and quite with great media systems. I can always take my volt but I would way rather go gas free. The modle S will have to wait 20 to 30 minutes for a 150 mile charge the trailers would be the best of bolth worlds battery swapping only when you need it, on the freeway. 5 minutes instead of 30.
 
Mortisier: check out the e-buggy

http://green.autoblog.com/2012/09/24/ebuggy-ev-battery-trailer-offers-four-hours-of-extended-range/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
I'm not sure if this information is completely accurate, but at 1200 lb, it's more feasible than 790 lbs. The Roadster's 53 kWh pack was "almost 1000 lbs." as described by Tesla's CTO this video...

And these weights may not include the cooling, etc. and of course, not the weight of the trailer itself, umbilical, etc.

I think we may be one generation of improved batteries away from this being a reality...
 
Here we go with another nonsense thread on an impractical range extension idea. I wonder how many pages this one will go on in circles, painfully. :roll:
 
EVDRIVER said:
Here we go with another nonsense thread on an impractical range extension idea. I wonder how many pages this one will go on in circles, painfully. :roll:

Sorry I did not meen to offend you sir. Actualy It really makes alot of sense . For most people, driving under 40 mile commutes in a $40000 Tesla with a $60000 battery desined for 260-300 miles is nonsense. Why spend the remarkable premium for battery range we statisticaly rarely use. some day internal combustion generators like the one in my volt need to become obsolete as well and I do still want a method of intercontinental travel other than expensive and dirty airlines provide. Is the trailer Idea as impractical as $60000 batteries? Inductive road ways? overhead cables? A universal swapable battery? we cant even do that with a power cord. It apperars like the most viable option.
 
TonyWilliams said:
Well, that's a 2000 pound trailer, so you won't be getting 73 EPA miles down the freeway. It's also $30,000 in batteries, and I'm sure you need the rental cost to be cheaper than Just-Drive-The-Prius(TM).

Good luck.

Tesla has their Model S which can do that, and will have a supercharger network for "free" charging.


Assuming that Nissan pays a full $30000 for a battery that they manufacture (They wont) if the batteries last 10 years (they will) they would cost Nissan a whopping $8 a day, double that because they wont be rented every day, and you get $16 I would gladly spend $30 dollars a rental session of 300 miles, Thats currently what I spend in my volt for 300 miles of travel. I would much rather spend it on a cleaner and localized American energy. Nissan could determin what kind of profit they desire. This could be a way for Nissan to deal with the upcomming compitition with the Bluestar combined with the supercharger network. Trailers still would take less time than Supercharging and be way easier on my batteries, not to mention dragging around the weight of 300 miles of range when 95% of my driving requires 20.
 
mortisier said:
TonyWilliams said:
Well, that's a 2000 pound trailer, so you won't be getting 73 EPA miles down the freeway. It's also $30,000 in batteries, and I'm sure you need the rental cost to be cheaper than Just-Drive-The-Prius(TM).

Good luck.

Tesla has their Model S which can do that, and will have a supercharger network for "free" charging.


Assuming that Nissan pays a full $30000 for a battery that they manufacture (They wont) if the batteries last 10 years (they will) they would cost Nissan a whopping $8 a day, double that because they wont be rented every day, and you get $16 I would gladly spend $30 dollars a rental session of 300 miles, Thats currently what I spend in my volt for 300 miles of travel. I would much rather spend it on a cleaner and localized American energy. Nissan could determin what kind of profit they desire. This could be a way for Nissan to deal with the upcomming compitition with the Bluestar combined with the supercharger network. Trailers still would take less time than Supercharging and be way easier on my batteries, not to mention dragging around the weight of 300 miles of range when 95% of my driving requires 20.


Add in $1M a year for insurance to cover the liability and several more to manage such a program. This is a flawed business model. Most people can't even tow a trailer let alone drive a car, think it through. It has been hashed out for years in the EV community before this forum ever existed. I wish we could get off the topic of range extenders, trailers, and solar panels on the roof of the car. Those that want one they should build one but they are a horrible model no company will adopt. For those that think it's a win go at it!
 
Add in $1M a year for insurance to cover the liability and several more to manage such a program. This is a flawed business model. Most people can't even tow a trailer let alone drive a car, think it through. It has been hashed out for years in the EV community before this forum ever existed. I wish we could get off the topic of range extenders, trailers, and solar panels on the roof of the car. Those that want one they should build one but they are a horrible model no company will adopt. For those that think it's a win go at it![/quote]

My thoughts exatly! People canot drive traditional trailers! Thats why it would half to be a single wheel articulating trailer with the conductors in the hard mounted hitch. This desine would totaly eliminate Jack-Knifing and cable isues. This is not some pie in the sky idea like solar panels on the roof we are all beyond that. I am just thinking that if companies like E-Buggy believe it is a marketable buisiness model than mabey Nissan with there signifigantly larger resources and dealership network should stay on top of the tail pipe emmisions free range extended market.
 
mortisier said:
Add in $1M a year for insurance to cover the liability and several more to manage such a program. This is a flawed business model. Most people can't even tow a trailer let alone drive a car, think it through. It has been hashed out for years in the EV community before this forum ever existed. I wish we could get off the topic of range extenders, trailers, and solar panels on the roof of the car. Those that want one they should build one but they are a horrible model no company will adopt. For those that think it's a win go at it!

My thoughts exatly! People canot drive traditional trailers! Thats why it would half to be a single wheel articulating trailer with the conductors in the hard mounted hitch. This desine would totaly eliminate Jack-Knifing and cable isues. This is not some pie in the sky idea like solar panels on the roof we are all beyond that. I am just thinking that if companies like E-Buggy believe it is a marketable buisiness model than mabey Nissan with there signifigantly larger resources and dealership network should stay on top of the tail pipe emmisions free range extended market.[/quote]


I can assure you Nissan will not get involved in this even if it made sense and was profitable. Secondly, the economics of this are extremely poor and if you think it through you will see why it will fail. Sure a few people will put a hitch on their car and pay insanely high rates to use a trailer but that wil not sustain a business. Battery cost, maintenance, infrastructure, liability, operating costs, support, etc are all too high to make this work and demand is too low. By the time this could be affordable and widely available to run as a business EVs will be longer range and there will be more charging infrastructure.

I'm sure a bunch of folks here can get their savings together and get started on a plan right away. I can't wait to see the business plan, not that those are important. :lol: Plenty of these trailers have been made in the past even 100 kw models recently.
 
Sounds like you think U-Haul would be a flawed idea as well. I think there is a significant portion of the driving public that can tow a trailer. Ever seen a boat, camper, cycle or other trailers...

The ability to pull a trailer by the public has nothing to do with the viable idea of a range extender... I'd gladly pay for a small tow able extender so I could do 2 or 3 trips a year further than my 45 mile commute. Rental or purchase, there should be something that fits $$ wise between a Model S and a Leaf, until I get a Model S :cool:
 
harryjpowell said:
Sounds like you think U-Haul would be a flawed idea as well. I think there is a significant portion of the driving public that can tow a trailer. Ever seen a boat, camper, cycle or other trailers...

The ability to pull a trailer by the public has nothing to do with the viable idea of a range extender... I'd gladly pay for a small tow able extender so I could do 2 or 3 trips a year further than my 45 mile commute. Rental or purchase, there should be something that fits $$ wise between a Model S and a Leaf, until I get a Model S :cool:


Let's say every American is a professional trailer hauler. The model is still full of flaws on today's economies of scale, cost basis and demand. What do you think a daily rental would cost to sustain such a model to where anyone would invest in the high capital costs? How many rental days per year do you think they can get in the first year? Second? Cost per rental? Capital equipments cost and overhead? There are so many important variables you are not even considering. The alternatives are more attractive, viable and accessible.
 
Seems most leaf drivers here would desire the ability to extend their range somehow. That's why this thread continues to come up over and over.

What a selling point if I could pull up to my local Nissan dealer and rent the extender for the day, weekend, week, hook up and go. Answers the range issue from a sales perspective and I wouldn't keep an extra old ICE around, pay taxes, insurance etc just to drive my 2-3 trips a year.

I'd guess that a simple trailer would be cheaper than a L3 setup.

Just stay with the U-Haul model, pick-up an drop off at any Nissan dealership. Simple.
 
Another company that expands their product sales with a rental accessory.

I don't need to own a truck to bring plywood home 2-3 times a year. But I do bring plywood home


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Go start this business, let me know how it goes and how simple it will be. Can't wait to hear about it.
 
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