Actual Mobile Charger

[ScottNY]

Hi. I certainly can’t be the first to think of this, but can’t find anything about it.

Since running out of charge on the road can be a real hassle, most likely requiring a flatbed tow to a supercharger, I wanted to get thoughts on the following idea:

I’m wondering if Tesla or AAA could deploy a mobile charging solution. Imagine a Sprinter type van with a large diesel generator inside (vented to the outside) and some type of inverter that ramps up the voltage/amperage to allow charging an EV. They can then charge the vehicle enough to make it to the next fixed charger. This would be the EV equivalent of ICE vehicle roadside assistance bringing a Jerry can of gas to someone out of fuel.

Does anyone know if this is possible or feasible? It’d certainly be a good business if someone had the know-how and $$ to make it work. It wouldn’t have to be just for Teslas though. With BEVs becoming more ubiquitous, fleets of these “Chargers on Wheels” could be deployed where charging options are lacking, and may help reduce range anxiety of new EV owners.

 

[RandyS]

AAA has demo'ed this technology and I think I remember them announcing that they were going to roll out a few trucks and try it out (I think it might have been in LA)....Give a few miles worth of charge to get the driver to the next charging station...

 

[LoudMusic]

I'm pretty sure I've seen exactly what you're talking about, but if the distance to a Supercharger is more than about 10 miles it'd be so much quicker to just load the car on a flatbed and truck it to the Supercharger.

 

[Rocky_H]

AAA could deploy a mobile charging solution. [...]Does anyone know if this is possible or feasible?

...or already exists?
Yes, AAA already has that service.

 

[srs5694]

A simpler solution is to tow the car, with the car's wheels on the road. This will charge the battery through the regenerative braking effect, thus obviating the need for specialized equipment on the service vehicle. This has been demonstrated in various YouTube videos, like this one:

That said, as a practical matter, I don't think this is a good solution, for safety reasons. (I expect it would be safer with a rigid tow bar rather than a rope or chain, but still....) Charging at the side of the road poses safety risks, too; it'd be too easy to get rear-ended that way. Towing the car in a conventional way is most likely the best solution.

 

[Fiver]

You're about 5 years late with this idea.

 

[RTPEV]

You're about 5 years late with this idea.

No, even more. AAA had this service when I bought my LEAF in 2011...granted, never widely rolled out. It's just so much more difficult to run out of charge in an EV that most people charge up regularly.

Even without mobile generators/charging stations, Sparkcharge (and a few other companies) are looking at a battery based solution: Electric Vehicle Mobile Charging | SparkCharge

These have already been deployed in several areas. In my area, a mobile car wash/detail service offers emergency charging, but I suspect the response time is not great. Teaming up with tow truck operators for this service seems like a better fit.

 

[Gleaminggold93]

You're about 5 years late with this idea.

Actually, 12-years late if you consider when the patent for this concept was approved.

 

[TomServo]

Or know someone with a new F-150. AAA and other Road Side Assistance companies need to have a few of these vehicles in their fleets. They can respond quickly, safely park near the dead EV and charge fast enough to get the EV out of harms way and hopefully to the nearest Charger.

 

[LoudMusic]

I was not aware it had two 3600w inverters. That's nuts.

 

[TomServo]

Hopefully Tesla has something like this in mind for the CT. Imagine a small fleet of CT’s assigned for Road Side Assistance duty outfitted to tow (say 100 miles or so) or the ability to provide a quick charge say 10 or 15 minutes to get a dead Tesla to the nearest Charger. I would guess using a CT with a proper tow dolly would be easier, faster and cheaper than a flatbed, plus it could easily and safely carry any passengers too. I hope Tesla is listening.

 

[mociaf9]

Even better would be a truck that could tow the car and charge the battery at the same time.