Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
Oh yeah it will be a wound armature.
Depends on how many kw you want, I don't know the price but it could be up there.
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Looks like weight is going to be a factor. A 23kW generator weighs +300lbs without the engine. I'm estimating that the Honda CBR300 engine weighs around 120lbs. 450lbs would be a bit much in the car or on the tail off the trailer hitch. There's a 20kW motor sold by
http://www.goldenmotor.com/ that weighs 39kg and is setup for up to 120V. If I rewound it with thinner wire with about 4 times the windings it should produce 400V and 50A at around 4,500 RPM.
If I go the in-the-car route I think I'd rewind this motor as a 400V generator. If I went with a trailer I'd be better off financially just making it a pusher trailer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Astro
Or if you have a trailer hitch (sounds like you do) then make a small platform/cage/box to bolt onto the trailer hitch to carry the small engine and generator. I think that would make it a bit easier as you wouldn't have to route the exhaust out of the car. Also the motor heat would be dissipated outside the car rather than in it (thinking of summer temperatures). As long as the set up was secure enough, so you don't lose anything on the road or whilst parked unattended.
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I've definitely thought about this route. The pros would be what you mentioned plus the ability to easily take it off when not needed and at the same time but have to register it as a trailer. The pro of putting it inside the car is that it would be inconspicuous and would allow me to still hook up a trailer for other purposes. Also inside the car I could hook up the water lines for cabin heat. If I make a trailer I could make the trailer multipurpose with both a range extending engine and space for hauling other things. This could be less noticeable than a trailer hitch mounted engine. Hopefully I'll be able to decide one of these days which route is best for my application.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
Have you figured out a way to charge while driving?
Or will this be only for when stopped?
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Yes. Everything I've researched indicates that if you hook up to the main bus coming out of the traction battery you can do it. One guy hooked up a trailer with a 30kW microturbine engine running a 480V alternator on a trailer hooked directly up to this bus. Another company called Engineer makes a second battery that also hooks up the same way. One guy did a YouTube video of his own DIY extended battery. The only potential problem so far is that you cannot have voltage applied to the buss if the traction battery's contactors open when you turn off the car. A simple fix might be as easy as hooking up contactors to the output of the generator that are operated by the same 12V wire that operates the traction battery contactors. That way when the 400V battery is disconnected all 400V sources will be disconnected.