I bought a small generator for emergency charging of my Model 3

[Baluchi]

I'm probably gonna get skewered for this, but I bought a Generac portable generator to have as an emergency backup power source for my Model 3. I know it's not practical, and it's certainly not a "green" way to fuel a Tesla. But I wanted a way to add miles to the car during an extended power outage at my house--not a lot of miles, but enough to get me to a public charger. Turns out you can't just do this from any generator, and even the one I got required a delicate touch for the car to start charging.

I live in the country and use an old Ford tractor around my property. So I have to keep gasoline all the time even though my car and lawn mower are electric. If you're completely electric, this might not make as much sense because you'd need to start buying gas that you may never use.

This video isn't very entertaining, and I've got a face for radio. But it might be useful for anyone else who's considered a small generator as a backup charging source.

 

[ScottNY]

I was under the impression that an inverter type generator is required since the vehicle will not charge unless the car detects the delivered electricity has a “clean” sine wave.

 

[Baluchi]

I was under the impression that an inverter type generator is required since the vehicle will not charge unless the car detects the delivered electricity has a “clean” sine wave.

Absolutely true. I think I mention that in the video.

 

[cali8484]

I'm probably gonna get skewered for this, but I bought a Generac portable generator to have as an emergency backup power source for my Model 3. I know it's not practical, and it's certainly not a "green" way to fuel a Tesla. But I wanted a way to add miles to the car during an extended power outage at my house--not a lot of miles, but enough to get me to a public charger. Turns out you can't just do this from any generator, and even the one I got required a delicate touch for the car to start charging.

I live in the country and use an old Ford tractor around my property. So I have to keep gasoline all the time even though my car and lawn mower are electric. If you're completely electric, this might not make as much sense because you'd need to start buying gas that you may never use.

This video isn't very entertaining, and I've got a face for radio. But it might be useful for anyone else who's considered a small generator as a backup charging source.

Nice video but you should have gotten a portable propane inverter generator instead so you won't have to deal with gasoline maintenance issues (e.g. fuel stabilizers, draining/cleaning generator for storage, etc.) since you will only use it infrequently. Also, you will get a longer run time and more charge from a 20-lb propane tank.

 

[Baluchi]

Nice video but you should have gotten a portable propane inverter generator instead so you won't have to deal with gasoline maintenance issues (e.g. fuel stabilizers, draining/cleaning generator for storage, etc.) since you will only use it infrequently. Also, you will get a longer run time and more charge from a 20-lb propane tank.

Didn't think about that, or even know it was an option. Great points.

 

[jjrandorin]

Nice video but you should have gotten a portable propane inverter generator instead so you won't have to deal with gasoline maintenance issues (e.g. fuel stabilizers, draining/cleaning generator for storage, etc.) since you will only use it infrequently. Also, you will get a longer run time and more charge from a 20-lb propane tank.

OP said:

I live in the country and use an old Ford tractor around my property. So I have to keep gasoline all the time even though my car and lawn mower are electric.

I doubt gas storage issues are an issue for them since they said they already keep it around.

 

[Baluchi]

OP said:


I doubt gas storage issues are an issue for them since they said they already keep it around.

Yeah, I keep gas anyway. I concede that there still may be benefits to propane over gas.

 

[cali8484]

OP said:


I doubt gas storage issues are an issue for them since they said they already keep it around.

That's no relevant to gasoline stored inside the generator.

 

[cali8484]

Yeah, I keep gas anyway. I concede that there still may be benefits to propane over gas.

Other benefits for propane, less air pollution and smell.

 

[KenC]

I'm probably gonna get skewered for this, but I bought a Generac portable generator to have as an emergency backup power source for my Model 3. I know it's not practical, and it's certainly not a "green" way to fuel a Tesla. But I wanted a way to add miles to the car during an extended power outage at my house--not a lot of miles, but enough to get me to a public charger. Turns out you can't just do this from any generator, and even the one I got required a delicate touch for the car to start charging.

I live in the country and use an old Ford tractor around my property. So I have to keep gasoline all the time even though my car and lawn mower are electric. If you're completely electric, this might not make as much sense because you'd need to start buying gas that you may never use.

This video isn't very entertaining, and I've got a face for radio. But it might be useful for anyone else who's considered a small generator as a backup charging source.

No one is going to "skewer" you. The topic has come up a few times. The issue is mostly, the slowness of the charging.

Just started your video, it should take about 12hrs or 2gals, to add 40+miles, but you have to factor in you already have miles of range in the tank. What you DON'T want to do is run in Eco mode.

Plus, you just take the generator with you, when there's a massive power outage, so you can just add power as needed, assuming you have gas.

Plus, plus, your generator is in your garage doorway, if the wind is blowing from rear to front of garage, you'll have a low-pressure area in your garage doorway, and the exhaust can build up. You, probably already know that.

 

[Baluchi]

No one is going to "skewer" you. The topic has come up a few times. The issue is mostly, the slowness of the charging.

Just started your video, it should take about 12hrs or 2gals, to add 40+miles, but you have to factor in you already have miles of range in the tank. What you DON'T want to do is run in Eco mode.

Plus, you just take the generator with you, when there's a massive power outage, so you can just add power as needed, assuming you have gas.

You're spot-on about 2 gallons adding 40 miles. Great point about just carrying the generator and some spare fuel, if needed.

 

[jjrandorin]

No one is going to "skewer" you. The topic has come up a few times

I think there is an assumption by many that most tesla drivers are "eco warriors". That may have been the case in the beginning, but tesla has long moved past being a vehicle only for those who are campaigning "For the Environment!".

If teslas products were only good for that crowd, they would still be a very niche company. It so happens that tesla has made good products, that stand mostly on their own merit, but also happen to be "good for the environemnt" in general (not getting into carbon footprint etc.

TL ; DR - 5 years ago, i think this OP might have gotten the reception they were imaging in their head posting this to a bunch of tesla owners. Now? Most are either like "cool" or "its slow charging", or some other feedback without the rhetoric. Of course, there are still those here that will champion that, but I dont think its the majority by any means.

 

[Baluchi]

I think there is an assumption by many that most tesla drivers are "eco warriors". That may have been the case in the beginning, but tesla has long moved past being a vehicle only for those who are campaigning "For the Environment!".

If teslas products were only good for that crowd, they would still be a very niche company. It so happens that tesla has made good products, that stand mostly on their own merit, but also happen to be "good for the environemnt" in general (not getting into carbon footprint etc.

TL ; DR - 5 years ago, i think this OP might have gotten the reception they were imaging in their head posting this to a bunch of tesla owners. Now? Most are either like "cool" or "its slow charging", or some other feedback without the rhetoric. Of course, there are still those here that will champion that, but I dont think its the majority by any means.

Yeah, and for full disclosure...I consider myself an environmentalist, or at least someone who's concerned about human impact on the environment. At the same time, I want to be able to charge my EV during an outage. To your point, I probably used a dated frame-of-reference when I assumed a lot of people would take offense to me using a gas generator to charge.

 

[a64pilot]

Most small generators have a drain screw on the carburetor, drain all of the fuel from the generator and you can store it for years.
If for some reason that generator doesn’t have a drain screw, just let it run out of gas. Also drain the tank.
Besides charging your car, a small generator is a good thing to have around if for nothing else to keep your food in the freezer / fridge from spoiling.

We lived on a sailboat for four years and often ran a Honda EU-2000, the carburetor is simple, easily cleaned and readily available on Amazon for cheap, I bet one for yours is too. It’s the carburetor that gets gummed up from old fuel, so get a spare.
There are propane conversions available, but I wouldn’t recommend one, they have issues too.
Many larger standby generators are designed to run off of propane as are almost all Diesel engined RV’s, those of course don’t have the issues I speak of.

I think most of us will of given the option of being “green” without having to make sacrifices to do so, will. It’s the logical way for any kind of green movement to work.

 

[Baluchi]

Most small generators have a drain screw on the carburetor, drain all of the fuel from the generator and you can store it for years.
If for some reason that generator doesn’t have a drain screw, just let it run out of gas. Also drain the tank.
Besides charging your car, a small generator is a good thing to have around if for nothing else to keep your food in the freezer / fridge from spoiling.

We lived on a sailboat for four years and often ran a Honda EU-2000, the carburetor is simple, easily cleaned and readily available on Amazon for cheap, I bet one for yours is too. It’s the carburetor that gets gummed up from old fuel, so get a spare.
There are propane conversions available, but I wouldn’t recommend one, they have issues too.
Many larger standby generators are designed to run off of propane as are almost all Diesel engined RV’s, those of course don’t have the issues I speak of.

I think most of us will of given the option of being “green” without having to make sacrifices to do so, will. It’s the logical way for any kind of green movement to work.

I'll have to check for the drain screw, thanks for that tip. As far as storage, I took the opposite tact. Instead of draining the tank, I filled it to the max (to minimize the chance of condensation in the tank), added Sta-Bil, and ran the engine for a little bit to get the Sta-Bil into all the components. This is what I've always done for my motorcycles, so I figured it would also work for the generator.

 

[roblab]

With the huge range of the Tesla batteries (Mine holds "400" miles, my wifey's holds "318") it is almost unconceivable that I can't drive to a super charger in a power outage, even with only a quarter "tank". We had a major outage a couple years ago, and we mainly just sat around letting the solar charge the Tesla Power Wall batteries for the few things in the house like refrig and freezer. Now, I realize some live farther away from any SCs than I might, but even when I lived in the "country" I could still do a lot of driving before I ran out, in case I needed to charge somewhere besides home.

I'd have a hard time justifying a gas generator just to add 40 miles of range. I'd have a hard time justifying any gas-powered item. I traded out my gas-powered tools years ago.

 

[Baluchi]

With the huge range of the Tesla batteries (Mine holds "400" miles, my wifey's holds "318") it is almost unconceivable that I can't drive to a super charger in a power outage, even with only a quarter "tank". We had a major outage a couple years ago, and we mainly just sat around letting the solar charge the Tesla Power Wall batteries for the few things in the house like refrig and freezer. Now, I realize some live farther away from any SCs than I might, but even when I lived in the "country" I could still do a lot of driving before I ran out, in case I needed to charge somewhere besides home.

I'd have a hard time justifying a gas generator just to add 40 miles of range. I'd have a hard time justifying any gas-powered item. I traded out my gas-powered tools years ago.

Yeah, I may be over-thinking (or under-thinking) the whole thing. A couple differences between us though. I have an SR+ with a max range of 253 miles--quite a bit less in the winter. And my commute is 113 miles at least, per day. So in the winter, if I only charge to 80%, and the car is 30% less efficient due to the low temps, my range may be closer to 150 miles. Throw in an unexpected detour due to a crash or closed road, and by the time I get home at night it's possible my left-over range will be very very low. It's 47 miles to my nearest Supercharger, so I felt it prudent to get the generator.

I envy that you've got a solar and powerwall setup, and you're absolutely right that it makes no sense for you to buy a generator. I put in an order for a powerwall and solar panels through Tesla a year or two ago, but it still just says "We will reach out to you as solar becomes available in your area." In the meantime, I had a local solar company give me an estimate on a system, and it was something like $45,000, which was too much of a splurge for me given that I've recently written the same-sized check to Tesla for my car.

We've also converted from gas to electrical yard tools. We now use a battery-powered lawnmower, weed eater, and garden utility cart. I also have a Goal Zero solar generator for emergency backup power, but unfortunately it was unable to charge the car--I think due to grounding issues. So the Generac generator was kind of my last resort, and hopefully I don't need to burn much fuel with it over the course of its life.

 

[pipp]

Baluchi I think you mentioned somewhere else that you are not filthy rich. If you were it would have been fun to buy a fleet of solar panels and a bunch of power wall batteries to save up a city’s worth of electricity. Oh well, maybe next year…

 

[Baluchi]

Baluchi I think you mentioned somewhere else that you are not filthy rich. If you were it would have been fun to buy a fleet of solar panels and a bunch of power wall batteries to save up a city’s worth of electricity. Oh well, maybe next year…

Definitely not filthy rich, and likely never will be. We are well-off compared to many, with my wife and I being max savers, working full time without any kids to worry about. The rub is that I've got an eye on early retirement, so while we've been squirreling away a nice nest egg, that money is off-limits at least until one of us retires. We also won't take out loans for anything, aside from credit cards that we pay off each month. When we built a house in 2017, we paid for it in cash. When I bought my Model 3, we paid for it in cash. That's why I got the cheapest Model 3 available, even though on paper we can afford more. If we were only measuring monthly expenses in terms of loan payments, I'd probably have that solar field by now. And frankly maybe that would be the smart thing to do, but for better or worse, it's just not how we operate. All that being said, solar is in our plans, but our next big purchase will likely be another EV to replace my wife's 2011 Ford Fiesta. We've got our eye on the base Aptera, which may come in under $20,000 if there's a tax rebate.

 

[Jbuntz]

I'll have to check for the drain screw, thanks for that tip. As far as storage, I took the opposite tact. Instead of draining the tank, I filled it to the max (to minimize the chance of condensation in the tank), added Sta-Bil, and ran the engine for a little bit to get the Sta-Bil into all the components. This is what I've always done for my motorcycles, so I figured it would also work for the generator.

Also only use the alcohol free gas as it will last much longer. Even with stabil the gas will go bad in a few months. The smaller the engine the worse the problem since the carb jets get smaller as the engine size goes down.