I got an e-mail from
Swee a few days ago, and he followed up with a phone-call today.
He has a lead on buying a diesel engine out of a newer VW. The car was in a collision, and wrecked, except for the pristine engine. The the engine is in perfect condition with only 50,000 miles on it, which is hardly broken in, as far as diesels are concerned.
Swee's idea is to purchase the engine and hook it up to a generator to build a "range-extending EV trailer". The engine can be fueled by bio-diesel, and really should get great economy.
Of course the engine costs money, and everyone's belts are pretty tight right now, but it is the nicest, least expensive diesel I have seen listed on Craigslist since I have started looking for them.
Neon Tom may have a generator head that could work for the project, and Rich knows all there is in terms of trailers, axles, and the like, so it might make a great EV group project.
Whoever needs to take their EV out on a long trip can just borrow it, hitch it up, and drive wherever they need to.
Here's an example of a similar (but professional) version of this concept:
Steve Hawkins' Long Ranger
This is different than a "
pusher-trailer" in that the EV still uses it's own motor for propulsion, rather than being propelled by the trailer.
This is all still pretty preliminary, but it looks like we will scrap together the cash for the engine, and figure out the trailer details later.