EVDRIVER wrote:camasleaf wrote:I believe the "push trailer" is the idea were the trailer pushes the car and you use the regeneration system to charge the battery. Easier electrically , but still lot of problems mechanically and dynamically.
Plenty of posts here on that really bad idea. That horse has been not only beaten but blended. Best way to extend the LEAF range is to post it on ebay, then use the proceeds to buy another EV. After hundreds of posts it will become pretty clear.
Yes, lots of posts. But how many failed attempts? All I know is that the pusher trailer concept has been done successfully on several occasions. Also adding an additional DIY traction battery has also been done successfully on more than one occasion. There has been at least one occasion where someone was able to get a 30kWh battery to work in a 24kWh Leaf too.
But you have a point that it's worth looking into longer range EV's first. The problem is that for the most part that is the most expensive and limited option.
Maybe I could trade my 24kWh Leaf for a 30kWh Leaf. But the consensus seems to be that they have a faster degrading battery than the 2013 Leaf that I already own.
I can't afford a +$30,000 car, so Leaf Gen2, Bolt and Tesla Model 3 are out of the question for me at this point.
For me, if I want to keep it partially electric, I'm better off with an older hybrid of some sort, perhaps a used Volt. If I can figure out how to get a Prius Prime for under $10,000 like Sagebrush suggested I'd do that. On the other hand I'm tempted to jump back off the EV band wagon for now until EV's become more practical and cheaper.
And yet I need to go farther than just a 30 mile radius from my house. My ICEV died from catastrophic transmission failure last week, so now I'm in a pickle with the Leaf. Part of the problem here too is the lack of charging infrastructure. The 6kW charger and CHAdeMO port really aren't benefiting my right now. I need to go to the next town 65 miles away at least once a week and my Leaf won't make it now that it's winter. Which is sad, because the Leaf would make it if it just had a bit more range than it does now, be that through a charging station of at least a level 2 6kW capacity between here and there or a bigger battery. Which turns me back to the idea of adding at least another 6kW of cells to my Leaf. A $1,000 in cells doesn't sound bad at all, and I'd still be getting +100MPGe between zero to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Either that or a portable generator.