Honda 10,000W Range Extender?

[RobertWarren]

Getting ready for a big roadtrip and wanted to see if bringing my generator was an option. It rubs on the tonneau cover but doesn't catch. I have an AC Works 50A RV to 14-50 adapter that I need to test out now, need to rig up a grounding cable.

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[Oden's Beast]

I was literally considering the same generator for the same reason (started looking at all possible options when they canceled the ER battery…?). I narrowed it down to this one, and a 12k one.

I’ll be following this thread, let us know how it works out. Fingers are crossed for you!

 

[txtravwill]

But it's just a charger not really extender. You would have to stop and charge with it since you can't charge and drive at same time.

 

[YDR37]

Previous thread of possible interest:
Portable generator as "Range Extender"

So this guy carries a Predator 9500 generator (9500W, $2,300 at Harbor Freight) in the back of his CT when he goes camping in the snow.

The generator apparently supplies a Tesla connector. He was able to charge at about 11 miles/hr. Took about 14 hours (overnight) to go from 12% to 100%. Burned about 15 gallons of gasoline.

So it can be done, but there are some obvious downsides. You can’t charge while driving, so you’ll probably want to charge overnight. But that’s probably also when you'll want to sleep, and then the generator is noisy.

 

[shopaholic]

And most campsites have generator and or noise curfew after 9/10pm.

 

[RobertWarren]

Previous thread of possible interest:
Portable generator as "Range Extender"

Cool, that is one of my primary use cases, charging in the woods while snowmobiling. Come back to a warm, charged truck without worrying about sentry mode or drain. Leaving Sentry Mode and Starlink running would be awesome peace of mind. But for this trip it's mainly so we can just go and not have to hyper plan every stop, or feel rushed while hiking etc. It's stressful traveling where one charger malfunction can make or break your trip.

 

[Oden's Beast]

But it's just a charger not really extender. You would have to stop and charge with it since you can't charge and drive at same time.

Yes exactly. The idea being if your 300M range is insufficient to take you over-landing to where, or for as long a stay as you wanted. It’s insurance for being able to stop and charge for a few hours to enable you to actually extend your stay, or even leave a remote area with no charging infrastructure. It’s now the only feasible option left to me. Carrying a generator, and its fuel, is not ideal. But with limited off road range, it removes any anxiety I would have (and allows freedom to overland at your leisure, while not constantly worrying about range).

 

[RobertWarren]

And most campsites have generator and or noise curfew after 9/10pm.

Yeah this is so we can avoid campgrounds. I did buy a TT-30 RV plug in case that is a last resort.

 

[Oden's Beast]

And most campsites have generator and or noise curfew after 9/10pm.

Being in a campsite with lots of people and rules like that, is not my use case.

Also, the Honda while more expensive, is very quiet. Exactly why its in my final picks.

 

[Lowcoe]

How long would it take for a full charge? Half charge?

 

[RobertWarren]

How long would it take for a full charge? Half charge?

I'm thinking 170 miles in 10 hours, two tanks of gas ~ 17 gallons. I don't think I would ever use it for a full charge.

 

[Gaximus]

My only concern would be how clean the power coming from it would be. I’ve heard that powering your house from a generator can damage sensitive electronics, although I would expect the Cybertruck to have some power filters that prevent this.

 

[cybercricket]

My only concern would be how clean the power coming from it would be. I’ve heard that powering your house from a generator can damage sensitive electronics, although I would expect the Cybertruck to have some power filters that prevent this.

That's likely an outdated concern from the days when electronics was powered from power supplies with transformers and basic rectifiers. Regulated switching power supplies these days are very foolproof. Either way, that specific generator has a voltage regulator.

 

[Oden's Beast]

That's likely an outdated concern from the days when electronics was powered from power supplies with transformers and basic rectifiers. Regulated switching power supplies these days are very foolproof. Either way, that specific generator has a voltage regulator.

Ideally you do want an inverter type generator, these have the lowest THD, which is best for any electronics. I’ve previously narrowed my search down to the biggest inverter type Honda makes (and as a bonus it is also super quiet). Thier EU7000iS is their biggest inverter type. An ideal set up for me would be two of these (for a total of 14kW), wired in parallel (they have allowance for this, using a pre-wired harness), it would easily give me 40amp at 240V continuous (at ~85% load) . I would by pass the mobile charger route and go right to a hard wired level 2 charger, so charge rate would be just like those set at 40 amp (rather than the max 48) in a home level 2 set up. From looking into it, and from input from other forums/threads, I’d likely have to bond neutral to ground to make the charger happy.

This gives redundancy too, and the bonus of being super quiet. And it’s a Honda…not cheap, but way less than the former ER option that is now cancelled. The 10,000 watt he’s using is not an inverter type, but if it works well, it may still be an option for me too. There is also a duel fuel Duramax at 12kw I was looking at too, but it’s not a Honda (?). There is also a possible conversation kit to dual fuel with them (Honda), but not sure it’s worth it for me.

I’ve abandoned going solar at all for main pack charging, as it just won’t fit my needs. I do have a couple panels for my camp power though.

This high cost and entire set up is not needed if you camp within range of power (obviously). But that is not my use case.

Another advantage is they would not be in the truck during normal work driving, so not hauling the extra weight around all the time (as I would if I could have gotten the ER pack).

Glass is always half full I guess.

Looking forward to hearing how his set up works out.

 

[Gaximus]

That's likely an outdated concern from the days when electronics was powered from power supplies with transformers and basic rectifiers. Regulated switching power supplies these days are very foolproof. Either way, that specific generator has a voltage regulator.

So I shouldn’t use my 1998 6500W generator? ?

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