Feasability of going from gas to only electric

[Erasmo]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

That would be great in an inhabited part of the country! But out here there aren't too many towns, let alone businesses. On some barren roads there may be a gasoline station or two. They'd be about my only hope. On PlugShare I think there's only one place to plug in through all of South Park, and if I remember right it's a 120V outlet. With what's on Plugshare I might make it from here to Denver on a few charges along the way, but the distances between some of them would be pushing the limits of the Leaf's range.

I guess you're really pushing the Leaf in that part of the country, can you share the route on plugwise with us?
Hopefully these will be more common along the road in the future:

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

If I did do a trailer of some sort it could be used for just those last few miles where the Leaf didn't make it. Then charge up from the next Level 2 and keep going. It would turn a 4 hour drive into a 12-16 hour drive, depending on how many charges I end up needing.

Solar really has me intrigued. Also an extended range battery. I do think I'd rather weigh the pros and cons of keeping it all-electric before resorting to combustion. I've thought about plastering my whole roof in solar cells and then charging the 12V system off of it. And then charge a separate 12V battery that then, when at a certain voltage, could charge my traction battery when I'm parked via a 120V inverter and a dissected EVSE. It probably wouldn't help a lot, but I could get a few kW hours out of it. The problem is keeping it streamlined and not affect the aerodynamic shape of the Leaf.

A solar trailer or even solar panels made to fit in the trunk are also on my investigation menu. If I could make something that produces around to 6.6kW in direct sunlight I could have my own portable charging station. There would be several technical difficulties with such a design, but definitely possible.



Sadly no. I've had family members almost kill themselves with their homemade trailers. Here in Colorado anyone can go in and ask for a VIN plate and a license plate for their trailer and go. No inspection.

Instead of a push trailer, why not go for a small DC generator? Combined with a ChaDeMo plug you should be able to charge really rapid, depending on the output of your generator. Think about 20-30kW?

On the idea of a solar roof, you can do it you'll need flexible solar panels and a really precise installation not to screw up the aerodynamics of the car.

I've had some interaction with a solar boat and it can be done, but those panels are not cheap.

If I guestimate a bit you should be able to cram about 300-400Wp on the roof of a leaf, so you're looking at about 1kWh produced a day averaged out yearly. So while it is fun to receive charge from your roof the ROI isn't working with you.

Of course it would still be a nice gadget to play with

[freebeard]

Putting the panels on the car's roof would require parking out-of-doors. The Green Tow trailers with their tilting, tripling panel area is a better choice.

APU on a trailer hitch mount?

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by Erasmo

I guess you're really pushing the Leaf in that part of the country, can you share the route on plugwise with us?

AH! And let the web identity thieves know exactly where I live!

Well, ok...

I might go from Gunnison, CO to, Salida, Leadville, Edwards, Aurora, Montrose, Delta, Grand Junction, Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Monte Vista, and, well, I guess that's about it.

Here's a couple of routes:

Gunnison to Aurora
https://goo.gl/maps/gJWceHtcNqu

Gunnison to Carbondale
https://goo.gl/maps/XD8b2ot2N392

From Gunnison East, I'd have to go over Monarch pass, which is over 11,000ft above sea level. Although it's less than 70 miles to the first Level 2 station in Salida, it seems I'd be barely scraping by to get there.

From Gunnison West there's a lot of hills to climb before I get to Montrose. Probably not as bad as going to Salida though. Then from Montrose to Grand Junction it would be nice if there were a charging station in Delta.

From Gunnison South, there really isn't anything. If I went to Monte Vista, for an example, the first town in between would be 70 miles away in Saguache, which according to Plug Share has a 120V outlet available. Then 35 miles to Monte Vista and there's no place to charge. So that's 70 to and from Saguache to Monte Vista.

Now I do realize that a lot of the places I mentioned would make renting another car much more appealing than going from charge station to charge station. From Gunnison to Aurora, for an example, it would be about 250 miles. Part of that is because I'd likely have to go through Leadville and take I-70 instead of continuing on Highway 285 through South Park, where all there is a single 120V outlet available, according to Plug Share. But had I an extending range trailer of some sort, going in the Leaf would be much more appealing.

But even to the closet towns with charging stations, which would be Montrose or Salida, I feel like I would likely be barely getting there, and possibly having to call a tow truck before getting there. I guess even a small portable generator would be an option for such a situation.

Originally Posted by Erasmo

Instead of a push trailer, why not go for a small DC generator? Combined with a ChaDeMo plug you should be able to charge really rapid, depending on the output of your generator. Think about 20-30kW?

A pusher makes more sense for the fact that it would be cheaper, more efficient, and could power the car while driving without hacking into the Leaf's battery system. I'm not sure where I could find a 30kW, 400V DC generator. If I had the time, I could rewire a BLDC motor into a 400V alternator. But still, where would I find out how to get the car to comunicate through the ChaDeMo plug with the charger so that it would switch on the connection to the battery?

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Putting the panels on the car's roof would require parking out-of-doors. The Green Tow trailers with their tilting, tripling panel area is a better choice.

Making my own could be feasible. After all, there are 1kW solar kits with tabbing and all for around $250 online. So a 6.6kW solar charger would cost around $1,750, but not including any glass, frames, sealant or inverter. However, it would be about 8" x 25" even stacked in 3! Maybe I'd have to go with around 3kW instead.

Originally Posted by freebeard

APU on a trailer hitch mount?

I wonder what one would weight, plus fuel tank and fuel.

2012 Nissan Leaf Gets Unofficial Jet-Powered Range Extender, Quick Charger

[Isaac Zackary]

10 of these would add about 23 to 27kWh of electricity, cost $4,000 and only weigh 250lbs. That's a lot less weight than the Leaf's 648lb battery! 40 of these on a 1000lb trailer could quadruple the electric range of the Leaf. Too bad they're not rechargeable.

MetAir Ranger Battery - MetAir Power Systems

[Erasmo]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Putting the panels on the car's roof would require parking out-of-doors. The Green Tow trailers with their tilting, tripling panel area is a better choice.

APU on a trailer hitch mount?

Most of the time a car is parked outside, and inside it shouldn't be that hard to find an outlet. But a solar roof is more of a gadget thing anyway.

Yes they are a nice thing if you want to be able to do a world tour on purely solar energy Martian style. Just keep in mind that hauling even their smallest model around would slice a lot of your range:



However at a base price of $50.000 I would just buy a second hand Model S instead.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary;526791
I wonder what one would weight, plus fuel tank and fuel.

[url=http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1070677_2012-nissan-leaf-gets-unofficial-jet-powered-range-extender-quick-charger

2012 Nissan Leaf Gets Unofficial Jet-Powered Range Extender, Quick Charger[/url]

More or less exactly what I meant with DC generator with ChaDemo plug.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

AH! And let the web identity thieves know exactly where I live!

Well, ok...

I might go from Gunnison, CO to, Salida, Leadville, Edwards, Aurora, Montrose, Delta, Grand Junction, Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Monte Vista, and, well, I guess that's about it.

Here's a couple of routes:

Gunnison to Aurora
https://goo.gl/maps/gJWceHtcNqu

I have to admit that you're a bit in a deserted neck of the woods yes.
This is assuming you have the nema 14-50 adapter so you can charge at good speed at a 14-50 outlet.(Which is a must have for every North-American Leaf rider anyway) Also call ahead at RV parks before you go:

Ok let's go!

Leg 1: Gunnison - Tomichi Creek trading post 32 miles
Leg 2: Off to Salida brewery 33 miles
Leg 3: Let's visit a Nissan Dealer and ChaDeMo up over there. 92 miles
Leg 3a: I'f your unsure that you can make the 92 miles you can always make a dash charge at Echo Canyon Campground at the halfway point.

From Pueblo up there are plenty ChaDeMo chargers along the way.


If you want I can plot out some other routes for you, I'm more or less twisting thumbs at work anyway.

[freebeard]

...twisting...

A synonym for twiddling?

$30K for a screamer or $50K for a performance killer?

https://www.tesla.com/powerwall

Powerwall Technical Specs

Usable Capacity
13.5 kWh
Depth of Discharge
100%
Efficiency
90% round-trip
Power
7kW peak / 5kW continuous
Supported Applications
Solar self-consumption Time of use load shifting Backup Off grid
Warranty
10 years

....

Dimensions
L x W x D: 44" x 29" x 5.5" (1150mm x 755mm x 155mm)
Weight
264.4 lb / 120 kg
Installation
Floor or wall mounted Indoor or outdoor

$3.5K plus your inverter and an Harbor Freight trailer( or a hitch-mount).

I suggest snaking the CHAdeMO cable through neoprene clips and up the A-pillar — Bladerunner-style.

[Erasmo]

Originally Posted by freebeard

A synonym for twiddling?

$30K for a screamer or $50K for a performance killer?

https://www.tesla.com/powerwall


$3.5K plus your inverter and an Harbor Freight trailer( or a hitch-mount).

I suggest snaking the CHAdeMO cable through neoprene clips and up the A-pillar — Bladerunner-style.

Meant twiddling yes, English isn't my first language.

A powerwall is about 400V so it could work. Alternately you could make your own pack with cells of course.

[Isaac Zackary]

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this. Looks like I'm close to 100% decided.

I'm really wanting to go all-Leaf. I'm just sick of working on old cars I guess. And I don't really want to buy another new one.

So for my Leaf-only-life envisionment to become a reality I'd either need more charging stations and more patience, rent a car when I go somewhere or...

What I've decided on is a single wheel pusher trailer. I'm envisioning a propane V-twin with a direct chain drive to a gokart forward/neutral/reverse gear box (which I would use only forward and neutral for disconnecting). The gear box would be directly chained to the wheel. The idea is having normal RPMs at around 45-55mph.

It would be connected to a normal tow hitch, but instead of a ball it would use a U-joint. I've got a good idea how the suspension will work. I'd make a fiberglass covering to cover the engine and propane tank with proper ventilation paths for cooling.

Throttle operation will normally be wide open with a solenoid that closes it while braking.

The API engine would have been a great project, but a bit more than what I need. This system I'm thinking of should be cheaper than $2,000 total and provide nearly infinite range.

[LittleBlackDuck]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this. Looks like I'm close to 100% decided.

I'm really wanting to go all-Leaf. I'm just sick of working on old cars I guess. And I don't really want to buy another new one.

So for my Leaf-only-life envisionment to become a reality I'd either need more charging stations and more patience, rent a car when I go somewhere or...

What I've decided on is a single wheel pusher trailer. I'm envisioning a propane V-twin with a direct chain drive to a gokart forward/neutral/reverse gear box (which I would use only forward and neutral for disconnecting). The gear box would be directly chained to the wheel. The idea is having normal RPMs at around 45-55mph.

It would be connected to a normal tow hitch, but instead of a ball it would use a U-joint. I've got a good idea how the suspension will work. I'd make a fiberglass covering to cover the engine and propane tank with proper ventilation paths for cooling.

Throttle operation will normally be wide open with a solenoid that closes it while braking.

The API engine would have been a great project, but a bit more than what I need. This system I'm thinking of should be cheaper than $2,000 total and provide nearly infinite range.

I don't know why you would bother with all this crap on a new vehicle that is totally emission free. Sounds to me like you are trying to ram a square peg into a triangular hole. What about a larger battery pack made from another leaf (or two) that loads into the luggage area for longer trips? More efficient, still zero emissions and does not look totally ridiculous.

Simon