hbf generator head

[drv2die]

i was looking around and found this generator head at harbor freight. my question why couldn't i put this in the back of a ev driven off of the rear axle or fifthe wheel design. to run chargers. also it might be easier to stick it in a small trailer ( with a second battery pack maybe ) to extend range. can you switch battery packs while driving ? every other weekend me and the wife drive 160 miles one way to see our families. i hate spending that kind of money on gas. she cant drive for economy to save her life. average speed would need to be 55-60 mph and its fairly flat a few hills but there small. would this work? would it just be easier to buy a diesel or gas generator to do the job. just an ideal.

Generator Head - 10,000 Watts Max, Belt Driven

[dcb]

EVs can be configured to perform "regenerative braking", which is essentially what you are describing with the generator head. Most motors can also be used as generators and when you want to slow your EV down, the vehicles momentum is used to charge the batteries through the traction motor (now being used as a generator).

Electrical regenerative braking does help a little bit, especially if you have to brake a lot. On a long hiway cruise, not so much. But it is bound to be more efficient (and thus likely to help) if you use the EV existing motor/generator than adding a separate generator head and wheel.

You can also add battery packs to improve the range of an EV, though it isn't one for one, doubling the battery pack size will increase weight which reduces the expected range from the additional capacity.

[Ryland]

Where is the energy going to come from to turn this generator? if you were to turn that generator head with an electric motor it would take a 12,000 to 15,000 watt motor to turn that 10,000 watt generator.
Your best bet is to see if there is any public transit, like a train or a bus that you could take instead of driving.

[drv2die]

the trip i would use this on is is 160 miles one way spend most of the day there over 12 hours sometimes all day and night leave the next day. the only public transport system is greyhound. i thought of usuing a fifth wheel design using a geared system to achieve the needed rpm to turn the generator at sufficient rpm. site says 3600. i think the 1856014 sized tires on my accent (if my calculations are correct) turn around 750 rpm. thought about using a motorcycle sprocket and chain i need to change the sprocket on my ninja anyway. also thought about putting it in a small trailer with the genertor being driven off of the axle. its turning anyway why not get something out of it. then i thought while the trailer is there i could put a extra battery pack in the trailer, when the pack in the car is low switch to the back up pack. have the generator charge the car pack while using the trailer pack. the only thing is that with new batteries you are only going to get 30 - 40 miles so i dont think i could charge the car pack before the trailer pack needed to recharge. i was just an ideal. my brother lives 160 miles away he is my computer electrical guy i am his fix anything guy, together we are wanting to build a ev there are 3 stops between my house and his but it is 159.6 miles from my drive way to his. i also thought that i could use the trailer to clean up the bad aero on the back of my car a boat tail if you will. im pretty sure i would need to charge the batteries in the car faster than i could. with in reason, a faster larger charger could do it but wouldn't i need at least 6 of them and thats only 72 volts that might barely get me to 55 mph ( if im right) please feel free to correct me im new to this and im trying to figure plan this out before i start it all.

[jakobnev]

You might as well jack up the rear suspension and/or lower the front, so that you are always going downhill. Or paint 6's and 9's on your rims so that the heavier 9's are always on the forward edge going down and the lighter 6's on the back edges going up.

[drv2die]

that will give more down force there for i will need a body kit a huge street fighter type with a fake intercooler up front. then i can put a 2 1/2 inch exhaust all the way out the back and cut out the converter and put a import muffler on it. replace that small wimpy factory spoiler with a tri wing that is at least as tall as the top of the car. then if i load the back end down with at least 4 12" subwoofers it will ride level again. then i will need to order all the go faster stickers i can find on the web. then i go to the graphics shop and have those cool tear graphics made for the length of the car. with all the mods i think i can run a 11 second quarter mile and still get 60 miles per gallon. then i will have to get a tattoo that says i live my life a quarter mile at a time. anything i missed? oh darn forgot about the neon? my car needs to be visible from the space station thats what the generator and extra batteries are for. sorry forgot to mention that in the original post. thanks for reminding me.

[Ryland]

So the idea of putting a generator on the rear axle really is a joke? I can't tell but I sure hope it is, otherwise you are missing the point that it takes 12,000 to 15,000 watts of electrical power to turn a generator that is only putting out 10,000 watts! it doesn't matter if the motor is connected to one set of wheels on a vehicle and the generator is connected to the other set of wheels, or if there is a chain connecting them, you get a net loss of energy.
Most people don't have a need to drive 160 miles at a time and that is why electric vehicles would work well for most people, for those that do need to travel that distance there is public transit and small efficient cars.

[drv2die]

ok so it wont work to be driven off of a axle i get that. i figured that out last night. it wasnt a joke i was thinking about it and want sure if it would work i see that it wont. i have a small gas saver car 05 accent. i can drive it and get around 45 mpg hwy with the ac on an carrying my wife and probably some other crap i dont need to. if i go by my self i can use my bike 07 ninja 650 running 75 the whole way i can barely make it( running on fumes) 4 gallon tank. but it not comfy to sit on the bike for that long and that is weather dependent. like i said the only public transport is greyhound last i heard it took almost 6 hours from there to here and back and is actually the same price as 4 gallons it takes to get there. i would love to do it with out gas i just cant . im still going to build the ev i only need 10 miles to work and then back. all under 45. that last post was complete sarcasm.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by drv2die

greyhound last i heard it took almost 6 hours from there to here and back and is actually the same price as 4 gallons it takes to get there.

Other then the time it takes taking the bus sounds like a good deal because the cost of driving is more then just gasoline, you have oil changes, tire wear, suspension wear, vehicle depreciation, but it is to bad that it takes almost twice as long to take public transit, I often tho, while driving a distance, wish that I was in the passenger seat, reading, or sleeping or just looking out the window.

[drv2die]

my wife has made that trip once before we were married said it was horrible the smell and the other unruly occupants of the bus. she is from ukraine and if she said it was bad i would consider it untolerable. the other costs are minor compared to the fuel costs the car we take is a 2005 hyundai accent i bought and rebuilt after a serious frontal collision. depreciation . cars only worth something to me tires are 45-55 dollars and are looking at 40k miles , i work at a dealer i get shell oil for free ( bulk) and filters are abundant. i geuss i shouldnt complain. i get 45 mpg in the car on that trip my wife drives back while i sleep or play with my phone, we average maybe 32 on the way back. we will be moving when the market is good enough to make any money on our house. then i wont have to worry about it. i to wish there was a good mass transit system like in ukraine that would be awesome but it will never happen in the us.