Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
And I think the next model year of the B Class Electric has the "extra distance" option standard. It also includes thermal insulation in the car, and the "extended range" button that lets you use more of the battery pack and get the range up to ~105 miles.
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One hot (future) aftermarket option, and OEM for future models will be a Capacitor Bank. Our local engineering school built an EV for a collegiate competition that had a cap bank. The beauty of a properly sized cap bank is that it can capture nearly all of regenerative braking energy that is generated, as opposed to whatever the charge efficiency of the battery bank is. Another "bonus" is that the (electrical) sizing of the cap bank is only 20% of the battery! Smart controllers between battery and cap are needed... but the real upside, according to this engineering exercise was this:
A properly sized cap bank can
double range in a stop and go EV driving situation.
Such cap banks already exist, with varying voltages and capacitance. Not CHEAP, however. A current limiting controller between the battery and caps would keep the caps from "putting a hurt" on the battery bank if thecaps were depleted after heavy acceleration
A capacitor's ability to deliver current is matched only by it's ability to suck it up!