355rockit
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You can use a neutral-ground bonding plug with your generator in order to charge your Telsa. Works great.
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Bed Mount Generator for Cybertruck
- Thread starter mzairboy
- Start date
While I understand the OPs interest in an on board range extender, Tesla simply does not offer that capability currently.
Other companies produce hybrid vehicles, but Tesla is designed to be pure EV, with Supercharging stations along the way to extend range.
If there are no Superchargers available, the Tesla is fully capable of taking on additional range from any private or commercial charging source.
Other companies produce hybrid vehicles, but Tesla is designed to be pure EV, with Supercharging stations along the way to extend range.
If there are no Superchargers available, the Tesla is fully capable of taking on additional range from any private or commercial charging source.
Wait for the Ramcharger with a built in generator.
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No thanks. Ugly and I'd rather not carry around a generator that I will NOT use 99% off the time.Wait for the Ramcharger with a built in generator.
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But instead you will cut/splice/modify wiring, void the warranty, spend ~$2k-$5k+ for a 150-450 lb generator for a mod to the CT that you will not use 99% of the time?
The generator in the Ram wouldn’t be used for daily driving of <200 miles or so.
I think it’s a pretty smart idea for a truck.
So instead, you will carry around a massive battery pack, that you won't use 75% of most days, but when you really need it (i.e. roadtripping, towing, inclement weather, powering your home), it still isn't enough. That makes no sense.
A smaller battery pack that just goes about 80 miles, and an ICE that only fires up 2x/ month or so, is more environmentally friendly as well.
Heck, with such a small battery pack and with no absolute need to always have it topped off since you have the generator, most can just charge from an outlet, making these vehicles also appropriate for the majority of Americans that don't have a dedicated Level 2 charge parking space.
This is absolutely epic.... but also seems entirely pointless when owning an EV.... LOL. Good on him though!
Using your estimated run time at 9kw, that would be ~315-360kWh. That’s about three full charges in a Cybertruck. Should be over 1000 miles of added range, after deducting for losses due to inefficiencies in charging.
A 9k will only put out ~6kw at max load (250v*24a) (surge that is). A better output estimate for sustained is 50% of max. So ~3kw/hr. If it were running at full throttle the entire time decide my above times by 3 or 4 for how long a tank would last.
A theoretical 100% efficient generator would produce 27.8kWh from one gallon of propane. A 9kW propane generator would be between 25% and 30% efficient — probably nearer to 30% but I’ll use 25% to estimate very conservatively, so 7kWh per gallon of propane, though 8kWh is probably more realistic. A 120 gallon propane tank isn’t supposed to be filled with more than 96 gallons, but drivers filling propane vehicles with autogas do so all the time. Let’s be conservative again and say 96 gallons. So that’s 672kWh (700 to 800kWh would be more realistic). 672kWh would provide about 2000 to 2500 miles of range in a Cybertruck.
I’ve charged my model 3 off my 2k and 9k. Off the 9k I got a steady 15a/240v off a 240-30 outlet. Running off unleaded, propane is less effecient in a generator. So they would give you 7-10 miles range per hour plugged in. Towing these trucks appear to use more like 1kwh/mi. Do you would get ~3 miles per hour plugged in.
With this 9k generator off propane running at its more effecient 25% load you get 1.6 kw/hr. And it can run for 2.5 days (12 hours per 20 lbs). And it will take 3 days to charge the battery.
You are making the assumption that generators are effecient in terms of 1kwh propane = 1 kWh electricity. They are most like 15% efficient where most of the energy is spent in heat. With your math my truck would be getting 80mpg. Instead of 12
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Now it’s becoming clear how you got such low efficiency results. I can see three problems (from most serious to less serious):
1. 25% load is terribly inefficient. For any rotating electromagnetic generator driven by an internal combustion engine (not talking about fuel cells, inverters, RTGs, or other devices that could be called generators), maximum efficiency will be achieved between about 75% and 80% load. Efficiency at 25% will be less than half of peak efficiency, probably about 40%. In other words, you lost about 60% of the kWh per gallon you would have had at 75% to 80% load.
2. I was doing the math for a propane generator and you were remembering results for a tri-fuel generator running propane. A tri-fuel generator running on gasoline will never be as efficient as a gasoline generator, a tri-fuel generator running on natural gas will never be as efficient as a natural gas generator, and a tri-fuel generator running on propane will never be as efficient as a propane generator. Extra losses here are about 25% to 30%.
3. The generator to which you linked is a single-phase generator. EV range extenders are always three-phase rectified to DC, not single-phase rectified to DC, mainly for efficiency but also due to reliability. Reasons why single-phase is less efficient include the pulsing torque of a single-phase load and the much greater harmonic distortion that occurs with single-phase than with three-phase. This is another 5% to 10% of extra losses in terms of kWh per gallon.
Altogether, running a single-phase tri-fuel generator at 25% load would yield about 25% to 30% of the kWh per gallon that one would get running a three-phase propane generator at optimal load.
No, I did not make that assumption. I was explicit in stating that a real propane generator would not have 100% efficiency and explicitly used 25% efficiency for calculations. In other words, 4kWh of propane to make 1kWh of electricity.
A single-phase tri-fuel generator at 25% load will have an overall efficiency well below 10%, definitely not 15%. More than 90% of the energy potential of the propane would be converted to heat. On the other hand, a three-phase propane generator running at optimal load would be more than 25% efficient, possibly 30% efficient.
I was thinking in line with a generator that you could buy and place in the truck as needed. Aren’t the smallest propane generators in the 500 lb+ range?
The smallest propane generator I know is single-phase, too small for the range extender application, and weighs about 30 pounds. It’s made by a little company called ALP.
I think that's the ticket. A Volt-like truck would be the best of both worlds for not being limited in your use. This makes a lot more sense then trying to take up half the bed with an obscenely expensive battery, or a generator which requires an open bed with all the efficiency conversion losses. After the Silverado EV (retail) release this year, it will be the next big thing to watch in the truck space, IMO.Wait for the Ramcharger with a built in generator.
The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger | Ram Electric Truck
Discover the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger electric truck. Explore range capability, available charging options, using your smartphone as a key & more on this EV.www.ramtrucks.com
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