EV owners of today and tomorrow

[Grumpycat]

I doubt RAM is putting fuel efficiency anywhere near the top of their priority list, having built a customer base almost solely on large-displacement engines.

All else equal, of course I'd choose the vehicle with better efficiency. But "all else" is never equal, and so I drive vehicles that consistently get less than 15 mpg.

So would you buy this if it got 10 MPG?

 

[DarkBlack]

Notice RAM is only claiming maximum range and not saying anything about energy consumption? Is going to be awful.

They’re claiming 145 miles range on batteries, and 700 miles range with a precharged battery, and gasoline.
That’s a 555 mile range on gasoline.
Unless they fit a 100 gallon gasoline tank along with the big battery, how “awful” can the efficiency be, and still have a 555 mile gasoline range?
For an EV enthusiasts, you sure seem to have a predetermined negative, pessimistic view of this one.

 

[LouNY]

Notice RAM is only claiming maximum range and not saying anything about energy consumption? Is going to be awful. You get your pipe dream of an onboard charger but it’s use will come at a high price.

First Volt prototype was a series hybrid. Fuel economy sucked so bad the project was delayed nearly two years in a panic building a transmission.

BMW i3 REx was a pure serial hybrid with terrible fuel economy.

You keep dreaming but never wonder why your ideal simple solution is (almost) never brought to market?

Like I said that's your opinion and that's all it is.
You and your dreaming about how wonderful electric vehicles are. They may have some good uses but for people that live and work in the more rural areas they have a long way to go. The serial hybrid has the potential to be a good vehicle your just to biased to see it.

 

[Grumpycat]

Like I said that's your opinion and that's all it is.
You and your dreaming about how wonderful electric vehicles are. They may have some good uses but for people that live and work in the more rural areas they have a long way to go. The serial hybrid has the potential to be a good vehicle your just to biased to see it.

I have driven EV since 2013. I know what I know. Drove a Prius 8 years prior.

I charge my EV at home. I don't have to drive miles to a gas station. I don't have to carry a transfer tank in the bed of my pickup truck to take fuel to my vehicle.

The serial hybrid is a flawed concept. A parallel hybrid such as a Prius is much more practical, but more complex with a mechanical link between ICE and wheels in addition to the electrical link.

For a locomotive, ocean vessel, earth moving equipment, "big things", the inefficiency is negated by eliminating a very complex and high maintenance geared transmission. Hydrostatic transmissions are often used, again at reduced efficiency but primarily for performance and maintenance reasons. Consider the Zero Turn Mower?

Consider the Over The Road truck? Why are these not series hybrid electric like locomotives? Efficiency. Have learned to make mechanical transmissions to this scale. Clutch wear is an issue, many in-town last mile delivery tractors have automatic transmissions. Less efficient but more economical.

Have seen manufactures testing diesel-electric garbage trucks. Some with battery storage. That market is very conservative, reluctant to do anything other than what they have always done before.

One manufacturer was experimenting with wind up springs. A spring to store energy as the garbage truck stops for a pickup, then to use that energy to help get it rolling again. Putting that much energy in a spring frightens me.

 

[NoTrespassing]

They’re claiming 145 miles range on batteries, and 700 miles range with a precharged battery, and gasoline.
That’s a 555 mile range on gasoline.
Unless they fit a 100 gallon gasoline tank along with the big battery, how “awful” can the efficiency be, and still have a 555 mile gasoline range?
For an EV enthusiasts, you sure seem to have a predetermined negative, pessimistic view of this one.

I read that fuel capacity is 27 gallons. That's 20.5 mpg on fuel then, right? That's typical of a V6 truck. I suppose they're gaining mpg with regenerative braking also.

I kind of like the idea of a hybrid, the Ramcharger, not so much.

 

[LouNY]

I have driven EV since 2013. I know what I know. Drove a Prius 8 years prior.

I charge my EV at home. I don't have to drive miles to a gas station. I don't have to carry a transfer tank in the bed of my pickup truck to take fuel to my vehicle.

The serial hybrid is a flawed concept. A parallel hybrid such as a Prius is much more practical, but more complex with a mechanical link between ICE and wheels in addition to the electrical link.

For a locomotive, ocean vessel, earth moving equipment, "big things", the inefficiency is negated by eliminating a very complex and high maintenance geared transmission. Hydrostatic transmissions are often used, again at reduced efficiency but primarily for performance and maintenance reasons. Consider the Zero Turn Mower?

Consider the Over The Road truck? Why are these not series hybrid electric like locomotives? Efficiency. Have learned to make mechanical transmissions to this scale. Clutch wear is an issue, many in-town last mile delivery tractors have automatic transmissions. Less efficient but more economical.

Have seen manufactures testing diesel-electric garbage trucks. Some with battery storage. That market is very conservative, reluctant to do anything other than what they have always done before.

One manufacturer was experimenting with wind up springs. A spring to store energy as the garbage truck stops for a pickup, then to use that energy to help get it rolling again. Putting that much energy in a spring frightens me.

To each his own what works for you will not work for many others.

Also many over the road trucks are going to automatics because the current flock of so called drivers can't handle a clutch.

I like the serial hybrid concept and have said so for many years and will continue to say so. That prius concept can't handle high torque work and durability. It works in the little light duty vehicles but that's about it.

 

[D'oh]

What I don't get with the whole BEV or PHEV thing is "Why not a 9000 or so watt, Gas/Diesel Generator on board charging the batteries Continuously?" Even after you shut off and get out of the vehicle, until Batteries reach 100%.

You would still make use of Regenerative Braking, Have a Heat Source for Canadian Winters (Cabin and Batteries), No Transmission, No Range Anxiety, and something that runs 8-9 hours on a couple of gallons of fuel.

Much like a Locomotive, but with a Battery Storage Bank

 

[WinterDeere]

So would you buy this if it got 10 MPG?

It would not be a primary factor in my decision. I have driven more than one 8 mpg vehicle, and I'm presently averaging 12 mpg in my sedan. My current pickup truck shows 14 mpg on the trip computer.

That said, I doubt it's anywhere near that bad. Lots of market research goes into any decision made by any major automaker, they really try their best to anticipate the needs and desire of the customer base they've cultivated, while grabbing at the fringes of that base... those "undecided voters", so to speak. So, while I said fuel efficiency is probably not at the top of their priority list, I do expect it is on the list.

 

[Grumpycat]

I read that fuel capacity is 27 gallons. That's 20.5 mpg on fuel then, right? That's typical of a V6 truck. I suppose they're gaining mpg with regenerative braking also.

I kind of like the idea of a hybrid, the Ramcharger, not so much.

15 MPG on 36 gallon tank.

But this is as yet a vehicle which does not exist, and preproduction models are so poor marketing isn't saying.

 

[Grumpycat]

What I don't get with the whole BEV or PHEV thing is "Why not a 9000 or so watt, Gas/Diesel Generator on board charging the batteries Continuously?" Even after you shut off and get out of the vehicle, until Batteries reach 100%.

Because you get 5-10 MPG that way.

You don't think what you suggest has not been tried these past decades?

These guys got pretty good results comparing a little BMW i3 to larger diesel vehicles:

Using diesel to charge EVs in the outback is greener than you think

A group of EV drivers test out using an EV charger powered by a diesel generator as a solution for outback roadhouses, and the results are promising.

thedriven.io