EV specific generator.

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adric22

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
2,488
Location
Fort Worth, TX
I know we've had threads before where people have connected portable generators to their EVSE's and charged their leaf, etc.

But I got to thinking today. I think it would be cool if somebody actually manufactured a small generator that was designed specifically for charging EVs and actually had a J1772 cord attached right to the generator. I also wonder how small it might be possible to make such a thing so that it would be easy to carry in the hatchback of a Leaf or other EV.

Most of the time I'm going outside of my EV range, it is usually not that far outside of the range. I'm also usually going to be somewhere for quite some time, but there is simply nowhere to charge. For example on Saturday I'm going to be driving from Ft.Worth to Plano and it will probably be around 100 miles round trip. If there were a charging station where I was going, the trip would be no problem. But there is not. But if I had a small convenient generator I could pull out, then I could charge for several hours and return home.

Sure...I could buy a generator now, but my EVSE is just the standard 120V. I'd have to also get the EVSE upgrade to really make use of that. Plus I'd have to get a larger generator to get 240V because the smaller ones typically only output 120V. So yeah.. if there were a custom made generator that put out 240V at maybe 12 amps or more that was really small and designed to be carried in the back of a leaf with a J1772 cord already on it... that would actually be something I'd buy if it were a decent price.
 
The Recargo site showed several within 10 miles of Plano TX

Charging Sites nearest to: Plano, TX, USA:

Distance Site Chargers Last Visit Status
0.6 mi Twin Peaks Plano
Plano, TX 75074 J-1772 no reports Unverified Details
3.6 mi Courtesy Nissan
Richardson, TX 75080 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
3.6 mi Texas Instruments Collins Boulevard Facility
Richardson, Texas 75081 NEMA 5-20R
J-1772 no reports Operational Details
3.6 mi Telecore
Richardson, TX 75081 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
3.8 mi UT Dallas Student Services Building Lot K
Richardson, TX 75080-3021 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
3.9 mi UT Dallas Activities & Recreation Center Lot J
Richardson, TX 75080 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
3.9 mi UT Dallas Clark Center Lot I
Richardson, TX 75080 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
4.1 mi UT Dallas Research & Operations Center
Richardson, TX 75080 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
4.8 mi Huffhines Recreation Center
Richardson, Texas 75081 NEMA 5-20R
J-1772 no reports Operational Details
4.9 mi Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm
Allen, TX 75013 J-1772 no reports Unverified Details
5.5 mi Courtyard Dallas
Plano, TX 75093 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
5.7 mi Comfort Inn near Plano Medical Center
Plano, TX 75093 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
7.1 mi Hollabaugh Rec Center
Garland, TX 75042 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
7.4 mi Kroger
Plano, TX 75025 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
7.8 mi Cinemark
Plano, TX 75093 J-1772 no reports Operational Details
 
KJD said:
The Recargo site showed several within 10 miles of Plano TX
Yes, but there are none near the convention center. I'm not going to ask my entire family to walk over a mile from the nearest station. If it were just me, I might consider it since I normally walk for exercise anyway.
 
Ya I hear you about the exercise. I often put the mountain bike in the back of the LEAF and then use the bike to get that last mile to destination.

As far as the generator, if you get one that is large enough to do 240 volts then its really to big to put in the cargo area easily. You could put it on a small trailer and I have looked into that. Then just use the EVSE upgrade to plug into the generator.

The main drawback to this idea is the cost of the gen set. See Honda EU-6500

http://www.sunelec.com/generators-c-12.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
I have the Honda 6500 - and when I run it for maintenance purposes, I do charge the Leaf, so I'm not just wasting the gas (or propane or natural gas - I've mod'ed it to run on 3 fuels). I suppose it's just barely able to fit in the leaf. What makes it a tight fit is that it's baffled so that it'll run reasonably quiet.
 
It can be done.. perhaps 60lbs for my proposed 3.3kW generator:

Since there are no reasons to have a pure sine wave output or even run it a 60Hz, the generator could be made smaller than usual.. since you will be charging on the side of the road then a small muffler would suffice. Instead of using gasoline use those screw-on small propane tanks intended for camping stoves (1lb propane, about 2.5kWh of energy if the engine is very efficient).. no smell of gasoline in your car and no chance of spillage. There are adapters available if you want to use a standard 20lb tank of barbecue gas. Can you refill those small tanks at home?
 
Not sure I see a good reason to integrate the J1772. It's too easy to simply get the EVSE upgrade, and both devices are then usable separately.
 
This would make a great product. Target the size and weight of a Honda EU 2000. OK you probably can't hit that target, but you could at least aim for it.
 
Lots of 120v gen set suggestions here. Problem is - gas to electricity generation is loss-ie enough. Drop from 240v to 120v and it's even worse. At 5 miles per kWh (at the wall) my best guess is that our 240v honda gen yields about 30mpg. It'd REALLY suck - even worse, if you were charging at 120v.
 
hill said:
Lots of 120v gen set suggestions here. Problem is - gas to electricity generation is loss-ie enough. Drop from 240v to 120v and it's even worse. At 5 miles per kWh (at the wall) my best guess is that our 240v honda gen yields about 30mpg. It'd REALLY suck - even worse, if you were charging at 120v.
I think the product envisioned here would be 240v, 3.3kw, plus a little margin for loss. Make it as compact and lightweight as possible. It would only be for occasional/emergency use, some plan B peace of mind if public charging didn't work out, or there was a gap in facilities along your route you needed to fill.
 
Prior to buying our 5.5kW (100% duty cycle) 240v gen set, I searched for the smaller sized set up. In the U.S. - it doesn't exist - at least not a year ago. In the U.S. - 5.5kW was about as small as they go.
 
Does it really need to be "inverter style" ? Isn't the purpose of inverter generators to allow the engine to run at variable speeds as the load varies? You don't really need that for this EV-specific generator. Just a nice constant 3.3kw at 240v. Not too big, not too heavy, and not too loud.
 
smkettner said:
Did you look at champion? or do you mean inverter style?

AC Load120/240V

http://www.championpowerequipment.com/generators/46554/
Boy, that unit has a suspicious resemblance to the Harbor Freight unit, and they are both $330.
http://www.harborfreight.com/engine...generator-certified-for-california-69728.html

Either would do the job as inverter is not required. Probably not top quality, but OK or occasional use where reliability is not a prime concern. But, at ~100 lbs, still a bit to lift over the trunk lip, at least for me.
 
smkettner said:
I think you will want 4000 to 5000w rated anyway if you expect to charge at the max.
Need V1 upgrade to go sub 4000w.

Honda EU6500is = 120/240V 6500W max., 5500W rated (240 volts @ 22.9 amps.)

A 3.3kW charger LEAF needs 240v/16a rated continuous, and the above is plenty. But it is too small for the many future 6.6kW charger EV's, which need 32 amps, and the Rav4 needs 40 amps.

Smaller ones don't normally have 240 volts, which is a huge limitation. The LEAF charger will only use 12 amps on 120v.

Honda EB1000 with electric start is close for Rav4, and perfect for 6.6kW charging: 120/240V 10000W max. (83.8/41.6A) 9000W rated (75/37.5A)
 
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