How much would you pay for a range extender.

[Prime8]

If the rumors are true and the first released models only have 300 is miles of range. First of all I called it. Second there are going to be some disappointed reservation holders.

Most of us won't need 500 miles of range except for 10?? days per year.

Personally our big family vacation is driving from Salt Lake to an undisclosed lake in Northern Idaho. It is 749 miles and 11:20 per Google. I am not retired so every vacation day is precious, so we drive the whole way to avoid the hassle and expense and time of a hotel.

With a 500 mile range with a fairly small aero trailer I could do it in one long stop for a late lunch.
With a 300 mile range, same trailer it would be at least 3 supercharging stops that would have to align. (range anxiety definition)

Personally I don't want to drive a 7000 lb behemoth 355 days per year, but the 10 days I need it for road trips is pretty important to me. I have also done the math and for a $20k premium I could split up the drive with many nice meals and hotels before I use up $20k. I have literally been tormenting myself with spending this $20k or whatever it ends up being.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

In theory if the on board charge draws 9600 watts and you could size a nice compact natural gas genset to provide that power to the charger while driving you could extend your range by 35 mile per hour of driving. This is roughly 15 HP. Turn it on after you leave after about 20 miles and leave it on for the duration of the trip, unless you are supercharging or plugged into a level 2 charger. This could be placed under the tonneau with some clever intake/exhaust ports that get closed on by the cover. get. So gain 350 is miles over 11 hours of driving. With this I would be back to a single supercharging stop.

Current natural gas tech or better yet a fuel cell would minimize the need for emissions or worrying about stinkly exhaust. A quality unit with nice sound/ vibration isolation on a skid that quick connects to a bed or in the case of an RV or other trailer could be trailer mounted. In cold weather a heater loop would further extend the normal range taking the waste heat off the genset for keeping the cab and batteries warm. If Tesla could build an integrated plug that works with the BMS and battery conditioning this would be really cool. Regen might need to be modified somehow.

There have been several small engine innovations that look ideal for a single speed light weight and efficient motor. I am not sure if this is FUD or if they are real., but this skid might be the size of a small desk with fuel tanks.

I think this skid could easily be produced in mass quantities for $10k for the genset anyway. $15,000 for a well integrated TSLA unit.

I wonder what the environmental payback foot print for something like this would be. Lighter truck 90% of the time, less batteries produced etc.

How much would you pay? If this could be rented even better.

16k? lol

Sponsored

 

[Tinker71]

16k? lol

If the base AWD truck was $60k I would buy it and add the range extender and be really happy. $80k is way too much.

The range extender concept is a great idea. I love it.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

$0

I want the range I was promised, Elon. I did not see an asterisk next to range or price at the reveal.

can you guess which stage of Kubler-Ross’s Grief Cycle I am at?

 

[Tinker71]

$0

I want the range I was promised, Elon. I did not see an asterisk next to range or price at the reveal.

can you guess which stage of Kubler-Ross’s Grief Cycle I am at?

Love it. Bargaining?

 

[Ranulf]

Maybe you can take notes from this guy:


It's a bit crude with the noise and the charging efficiency, but the concept works for a range extender.

Of course, it defeats the purpose of an electric car, lol.

I’m not sure how he did this, but I doubt it is good for the health of the battery. I was hoping he would share his install process, what voltage the generator outputted, and how he interfaced it with the car.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Ford F-150 Electric Pickup May Get Newly Patented Range Extender in Its Bed
It looks deceptively like a toolbox, but it could be used to increase the range of the upcoming electric F-150 pickup truck.

From the looks of Ford's patent, the electric pickup range-extender would work exactly the same way, with a twist: All of the generator-related components, from the engine to the fuel to the hookup to the vehicle's power system, would be contained in a box-like unit that could be removed from the truck. The modular design would allow the power unit to be transferred between electric Ford pickups—think of the usefulness for, say, a commercial fleet owner with multiple F-150 EVs which occasionally might need extra driving range for specific tasks. With a boxy design, the range extender has the potential to be "disguised," as the Ford patent puts it, as an in-bed toolbox.

But that isn’t what Tesla is talking about, right?

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Love it. Bargaining?

Me, Acceptance.

 

[CyberGus]

Where on the Kübler-Ross model is “refinancing”

 

[Vegetaban]

With my model 3 LR I only have issue with range when I have a cargo box on the roof rack, and the supercharging network solves the range anxiety there. I would have to see how the CT AWD completes our multiple trips to florida down I95 a year before consider buying the range extender.

I don't have a need to tow often, so if it was rentable from a service center I would rent it when needed.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

It seems to me that we know less about the 4680 cells/pack than we need to know to make an informed decision about the Cybertruck. We know nothing about the charge rate it can support, how many cycles it can last in its usable lifetime, what the recommend daily charge range is, what the maximum charge it can take is, and its stability. I am not a battery expert so I would really like someone like @thelimitingfactor to give a short, high-level review of the current 4680 cell/pack specifications.

 

[Idrenak]

I wouldn’t buy a range extender. Takes too much bed space and I use the bed all the time on the farm. For the half a dozen times a year I need to make a long trip my 30 min spent at a charger is not worth 16k. For that kind of money you can rent a gas vehicle a lot of times. Everyones situation is different but for me it makes no financial sense.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

I wouldn’t buy a range extender. Takes too much bed space and I use the bed all the time on the farm. For the half a dozen times a year I need to make a long trip my 30 min spent at a charger is not worth 16k. For that kind of money you can rent a gas vehicle a lot of times. Everyones situation is different but for me it makes no financial sense.

Good points. I would like to add that (and this doesn't change the price/value calculation much), when I was traveling cross country in our Model Y last winter, we had to charge 4-5 times a day (20%-90% each time) and were generally just making the next SC often 120 miles away. That is about 50% loss. If I could amortize that 3 hours and associated stress over say 6 years would it be worth $16K? It is kind of like asking if FSD is worth it when I drive on the highway over the course of a 6-year period. To me, stress reduction is worth almost anything at this point, and if the range extender by some luck of the draw has uses beyond the car then all the better (other types of stress reduction). But I would 'have' to be able to remove it and use the whole bed most of the time.

 

[Idrenak]

Good points. I would like to add that (and this doesn't change the price/value calculation much), when I was traveling cross country in our Model Y last winter, we had to charge 4-5 times a day (20%-90% each time) and were generally just making the next SC often 120 miles away. That is about 50% loss. If I could amortize that 3 hours and associated stress over say 6 years would it be worth $16K? It is kind of like asking if FSD is worth it when I drive on the highway over the course of a 6-year period. To me, stress reduction is worth almost anything at this point, and if the range extender by some luck of the draw has uses beyond the car then all the better (other types of stress reduction). But I would 'have' to be able to remove it and use the whole bed most of the time.

From what I’ve read it has to be installed by Tesla. Probably cooing lines etc.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

Love it. Bargaining?

Vacillating between anger and depression.

 

[SlightlySinged]

I was only shooting for a dual motor anyway... so the 340mi range is just fine with me, and in line with the announcement specs. Just wish the price was a little closer to the announcement price.

Sponsored