EV toads

[radar]

Originally Posted by GWBGE

From what I've read, the F150 Lightning is not flat towable, but the F150 4wd hybrid is flat towable.

I saw the same thing but it wasn’t a ford statement.

Shame the lightning isn’t towable four down.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by baraff

It seems to me someone could build an EV or an add-on accessory that with a flip of a switch, could allow an EV to charge itself while being towed. "Generator Mode"?
I know next to nothing about EV's, but it doesn't seem like rocket science to me.

This is theoretically doabl,e but it would make little sense to burn gasoline or diesel fuel in order to charge an electric vehicle by towing it. What is green about that?

[radar]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

This is theoretically doabl,e but it would make little sense to burn gasoline or diesel fuel in order to charge an electric vehicle by towing it. What is green about that?

It’s essentially a software switch that has not been made available by any EV manufacturer. But electricity is widely available and EV charging is quite easy nowadays. It would have probably been more useful in the early EV days but charge networks are getting quite robust now.

Jmho.

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

This is theoretically doabl,e but it would make little sense to burn gasoline or diesel fuel in order to charge an electric vehicle by towing it. What is green about that?

It might be interesting to do the math to find out just how green, or otherwise, it would be. Powerplant efficiency and transmission losses vs. using the toad as its own generator does not, at first blush, seem like a complete nonstarter as long as drag on the MH can be kept within reasonable bounds. A solar panel on the toad (or even a few on the coach) might be better, though, all around. Hmmm....

[radar]

Originally Posted by n2zon

It might be interesting to do the math to find out just how green, or otherwise, it would be. Powerplant efficiency and transmission losses vs. using the toad as its own generator does not, at first blush, seem like a complete nonstarter as long as drag on the MH can be kept within reasonable bounds. A solar panel on the toad (or even a few on the coach) might be better, though, all around. Hmmm....

We have been an EV family for almost 6 years and I have learned to stay out of “green” discussions mostly because I haven’t got a freakin clue what I am taking about. But knowing the no tow limitations of EV’s a few of us have discussed it once or twice. Our non scientific conclusion was that if one was towing an EV on a trailer and one wanted to charge it while en route one could put 2000 watts of solar on the coach roof and charge the car with a basic level 1 EVSE at around 1.5 KW...which is pretty slow. Since most of us driving EV’s don’t really have that much of a green slant we would probably either just run the generator for a faster charge or just do what we did and charge either at the campground or an EV charger. I’m not sure it’s that important to be able to charge underway. Campgrounds are starting to put more and more j1772 stations in. I’m sure the facilities will grow the demand.

Jmho.