Easily Removable generator/range extender

[n8rs]

I have no idea how big and heavy the ICE motor will be for the range extender but it would be awesome if it were relatively easy to remove from the vehicle. I imagine it being used at gatherings, parties and worksites and even potentially in natural disaster cleanup or at home in an emergency. I mean depending on the situation making the generator removable and usable outside of the vehicle could save lives.

In addition, most of the time there would be no reason to be hauling the generator around town so one could remove it and keep it stored at home while making the vehicle lighter for most driving then add it back in for longer trips.

 

[CarTechGeek]

That doesn't seem practical. Fuel tank for one thing is in the front of the vehicle. So you need to dealing with fuel lines, high voltage power lines, and possibly cooling lines integrated into the vehicle. Plus it's going to weigh several hundred lbs... Being made to be removable will also make it more bulky/heavy that if it were simply an integrated item.

If you want a removable Generator. Buy the Terra, and throw a portable generator in the back when you think you might need it.

 

[n8rs]

Your reasoning makes a lot of sense. The generator idea does seem pretty flawed to begin with. I'd like to see the engineer's math that justified them making it an offering in the first place.

 

[n8rs]

I will say though... if the numbers add up and they can engineer everything to work in such a way that the generator is lightweight enough to be easily removed yet still powerful enough to efficiently extend the range then it could be a game changer. It does seem like a significant engineering challenge, not too unlike the challenges Tesla has faced over their years of development. @CarTechGeek you are right though there are a lot of things to consider. You would likely have to keep the main fuel tank in the vehicle and have to use a separate fuel tank outside the vehicle. It wouldn't be impossible to engineer safe power connectors, and drip free fuel lines and if the generator could be air cooled it might not have to be connected to cooling lines.

Anyway, just an idea to throw out there. I loved the old International Scouts and can't wait to see these things in real life in a few years. Who knows maybe by the time these things are in production there will be new battery tech available and range extenders won't even be a thing we think about.

 

[n8rs]

The generator is in the back of the vehicle. Maybe a hand crank lowering system could be made to lower and raise the generator on to a dolly specifically designed for the generator. Who knows, all just ideas. Probably won't happen but it's fun to think about anyway.

 

[GreenHarverster304]

I have no idea how big and heavy the ICE motor will be for the range extender but it would be awesome if it were relatively easy to remove from the vehicle. I imagine it being used at gatherings, parties and worksites and even potentially in natural disaster cleanup or at home in an emergency. I mean depending on the situation making the generator removable and usable outside of the vehicle could save lives.

In addition, most of the time there would be no reason to be hauling the generator around town so one could remove it and keep it stored at home while making the vehicle lighter for most driving then add it back in for longer trips.

This is an interesting idea, but I am having a hard time understanding what problem a removable generator would solve over just using the outlets on/in the vehicle in those use scenarios?

 

[AAW83]

I have no idea how big and heavy the ICE motor will be for the range extender but it would be awesome if it were relatively easy to remove from the vehicle. I imagine it being used at gatherings, parties and worksites and even potentially in natural disaster cleanup or at home in an emergency. I mean depending on the situation making the generator removable and usable outside of the vehicle could save lives.

In addition, most of the time there would be no reason to be hauling the generator around town so one could remove it and keep it stored at home while making the vehicle lighter for most driving then add it back in for longer trips.

The generator in a EREV vehicles is not the same as a simple portable generator that you would have around the house. The generator in a EREV vehicle would actually be a small 2 or 4 stroke engine that is fed by gasoline like any other ICE engine. Removing the engine would be complicated to impossible as you would have to somehow disconnect the fuel and cooling lines from the engine and power lines from the alternator then somehow get the engine to work externally. That would be too much work and not worth the effort.

Instead, the vehicle itself is the external power generator if you are ever in a situation where you need power during a power outage. I think what Scout should invest in or should inquire and acquire is a more efficient, powerful, very lightweight and quite engine that is very compact in size like the “1stoke” engine e-REX from INNengine for example. This would probably be the most simple form of a range extender engine/generator.

 

[Logan]

I personally have no interest in dropping the generator frequently, as unless it was like "back up over here, and press this button and the vehicle deposits the 100-300lb engine on the floor in an automated way, and then can be self-installed again by pressing the same button", it sounds like too much work to do on the regular.

That said, I am interested in ease of access for repairs/maintenance, which could include being able to remove it. And making it so I don't have to disassemble the whole rear end of the vehicle I completely agree with.

Also, another interesting "not normal" design for a generator.

Toyota developed something 10 years ago that I thought was fascinating. Its a piston driven generator... with no crankshaft. The pistons themselves are the magnets, and the cylinder walls are the coils. And the pistons are returned to the top via pneumatic pressure.

Toyota develops high-efficiency 'free piston' no-crankshaft combustion engine... to power an EV

A new design for a piston-free linear engine generator has just been released by Toyota. With remarkable efficiency, the device might be scaled up to compete with electric power plants used in cars today.

www.extremetech.com

 

[CarTechGeek]

Also, another interesting "not normal" design for a generator.

I've been seeing all kinds of novel experimental engines as far back as the late 1970's in Popular Mechanics.

We just keep using fairly normal Piston and Crank, 4 stroke engines, and I wouldn't expect that to change, though in Europe Mazda brought back the Wankel Rotary as a Range extender, for it's MX-30 EREV.

The Harvester RE will almost certainly be a normal I3 or I4, 4 stroke, and will weigh well over 400 LBS when you include all it's required support systems.

For perspective, A 10 KW Honda Generator weighs about 400 lbs, and I would expect the Harvester to supply 40KW+.

 

[Logan]

I've been seeing all kinds of novel experimental engines as far back as the late 1970's in Popular Mechanics.

We just keep using fairly normal Piston and Crank, 4 stroke engines, and I wouldn't expect that to change, though in Europe Mazda brought back the Wankel Rotary as a Range extender, for it's MX-30 EREV.

The Harvester RE will almost certainly be a normal I3 or I4, 4 stroke, and will weigh well over 400 LBS when you include all it's required support systems.

For perspective, A 10 KW Honda Generator weighs about 400 lbs, and I would expect the Harvester to supply 40KW+.

Totally agree, on all accounts. Just looking at all the whacky designs is kind of fun though .

I expect the Harvester to be at least ~35-80kw/hr personally, and likely based on a 3-4 cylinder engine.

 

[shnngns]

Interesting idea. I could see some use cases for it but not for the average consumer. My mind also automatically goes to "not common" which means more R&D to make that work, which equals more money and the consumer pays for that. Keep the engine onboard and R&D lower and consumer costs lower.

 

[n8rs]

I'm loving all the information about this. Thanks everyone!

I'm guessing diesel generators are not turbo charged... are they? If they did use a diesel generator would it need to be turbo charged? I guess that begs the same question for gas. So many questions, so much conjecture. I can't wait to see what they actually end up doing. Whatever it is I hope it's groundbreaking tech.

 

[shnngns]

I'm loving all the information about this. Thanks everyone!

I'm guessing diesel generators are not turbo charged... are they? If they did use a diesel generator would it need to be turbo charged? I guess that begs the same question for gas. So many questions, so much conjecture. I can't wait to see what they actually end up doing. Whatever it is I hope it's groundbreaking tech.

I also can't wait to see what they actually do. I'm not looking forward to the wait but I am looking forward to the journey.