[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Astro

I think that if an EV had the ability to connect to another EV and transfer some energy at a fast charge rate, then i think that would go a long way towards removing the range anxiety.

That is a fantastic idea; one that I hadn't ever considered.

It might take some additional circuitry to implement, but there is a possibility that 2 cars with the same rated DC voltage could just do a DC fast charge from one to the other with very limited extra circuitry. The car with more charge would also have a higher voltage, and be able to transfer some of the energy to the other vehicle.

This would be way more convenient than trying to assist someone that is out of petrol. I can't even siphon gas out of my vehicle due to the anti-theft design, and besides, I don't carry around a siphon. The best I can do is drive to the nearest petrol station with a spare gas can, buy a little fuel, and then drive back to the stranded driver.

If there was a universal car to car charging design, this would make any EV capable of helping a stranded driver.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

What's required to put more than a very few cars on such a charging station? Assume a reasonable 5 minute average to fill a gas tank, and immediately you need 6 times as much area. Then with such large intermittent current loads, you'd have problems with distribution powerflow & stability drawing that need to be addressed. (Overnight charging works because it's lower current at a time when system load is low.)

Additional charging points would easily fit since the isolated fuel filling "island" that services just a few vehicles would no longer be necessary. Instead, the island would be replaced by regularly spaced parking spots. A charging tower would service 2-4 vehicles. No more waiting in a super long Costco fuel line because if there is a parking spot, there is a charging spot.

Of course, these EV charging stations would only get a fraction of the business that petrol stations do because most everyone would be charging at home. The only people stopping at these stations would be those on longer distance trips, with the daily drivers not needing to utilize the public charging stations. You wouldn't have 4 of these stations on the same corner either, because while the petroleum industry has successfully convinced consumers that one brand of petrol is better than another, nobody will believe that "electrons with Techron" is a better product.

Also, their superchargers point up an as yet unsolved problem facing mass adoption of EVs. How do you supercharge your Leaf, Spark EV, or other non-Tesla vehicle?

The cell phone charging analogy applies here. There is a lack of universal standard at the moment, but eventually the market will demand a universal specification. I'll bet fuel nozzles weren't standardized at first too, but necessity caused them to adopt a standard eventually.