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Portable generator use

23K views 50 replies 26 participants last post by  Hitstirrer  
#1 ·
How long would it take to put enough charge in a battery to get you a few miles?

I was wondering if I could carry a small petrol generator when going on a long journey. Thus if I got stuck with some miles to go to next charge point.
Would a genny produce enough power to get by.

I realise you couldn't expect to fully charge in a reasonable time frame. However putting in enough to go a few miles could be of use
 
#3 ·
How big a generator are you prepared to carry?

Most small portable generators are about 1kW output which is below the minimum charge power which is normally 1.6kW. Most charging systems are about 70-90% efficient on 240V. So you might only be putting in to the battery 1400W. Given that most EVs do about 4 miles / kWh you can see that to get even 4 miles you would likely need to charge for nearly 45mins and probably nearer an hour.

Also, some cars might not even charge from a portable generator unless it has a compatible waveform.

One thing is certain... it would be a very expensive way to charge a car mainly because of the losses in running a petrol genny are huge... most of the energy is lost as heat.

So yes, it is possible but carrying around a heavy (a 2kW genny is going to be heavy) generator on the off-chance you might need it is just pointless. People don't just run out of power... it isn't like that.

Better to just not run out of power. No one runs out of power is they are sensible when driving an EV.
 
#11 ·
You can charge using AC at as little as 6 amps and (for most cars) as little as 100 volts, so, with carefully adjusted parameters and a bit of custom electronics in the EVSE controller, a 600 W generator could just about charge a car. But that would be really slow: most cars use 200 to 300 W just to run their own electronics, so only a useful 300 W or so would charge the battery, about 1 mile range regained per hour.

A building-site frame generator could put out close to the 7 kW maximum for 230 V 32 A charging, about 20 miles/hour, but it would fill your entire car boot and be too heavy to lift out to run. Might be an option for a breakdown van, but a trailer or dolly to tow the car to the nearest rapid charger, would be simpler.

With that said, I'll add my recommendation just not to run out of charge. In England, you'll rarely be more than 15 miles from the nearest rapid charger, although it might not be one you would normally approve of. More careful planning needed in Scotland or Wales. If you include public AC chargers, rarely more than 10 miles away. If you realise that you don't have enough range even for that, slow down (and turn off the aircon and heating)! Most EVs are at their most efficient at about 20 mph (30 km/h). Slowing right down may increase your range enough to avoid running out completely.

(My van-based car with the aerodynamics of a haystack returns better than 5 miles/kWh at 20 to 30 mph, about double its efficiency at 70. Even slowing down to 50 if you are worried about reaching the next motorway services can really help.)

If I drove with a 75 mile reserve, I'd have to charge every 15 miles or so. That advice isn't practical for me. On long journeys I'm happy to arrive at a planned charging stop with just enough range left to be sure of a plan B, so long as plan A was for a multi-charger site of a reliable brand.
 
#15 ·
Many people seeking emergency power are moving towards a battery bank solution. They can add 6 to 10 miles if an EV runs out of power but are an expensive option. Minimum £2000. Much less messy and noisy, but will only provide a limited amount of power before they need to find a charger themselves.

 
#19 ·
First of all, welcome to the forum. How long have you driven an EV? I ask because your question tends to be asked by new drivers before they realise that arranging to react to a low state of charge and finding a charger in time is pretty simple. So the need for a 'get-out-of-jail' generator is not a real requirement. If you are new, you will soon realise that and then understand some of the replies.

To answer your question in its bare form Yes, it is possible to charge an EV using a generator. But it would need to be a 3 kW version which is heavy and extensive. And once purchased it would live to fill your boot until you sold it as it was never needed.

Nothing wrong with your question of course. It's normal when starting to drive EV to be concerned about running out of charge and pondering on ways to relieve that concern. But soon you will relax and just manage your re-fuelling stops just as you did with fossil fuel.
 
#26 ·
A battery would be better and faster but cost more.
But then again you would not have the stink of petrol in the car and you wouldn't need to bodge anything to fool the granny charger into working

Gaz